Kendre Miller runs with the ball in Week 1 against the Lions.
Getty
Kendre Miller’s stock with the New Orleans Saints appears to have reached a new low.
On Sunday, he’s been ruled inactive for the Saints’ clash with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. The Saints made that official when they announced their team inactives about 90 minutes before kickoff.
Miller isn’t hurt, though. He’s a healthy scratch.
Healthy https://t.co/nGyMfi6HR6
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) September 20, 2026
Why Isn’t Kendre Miller Playing?
The Saints will roll with three active running backs: Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara and CJ Donaldson.
Kamara is back from injury to make his season debut, which is part of what pushed Miller out of the lineup. But the second consecutive elevation of the undrafted rookie Donaldson is the big factor here.
Donaldson played both tailback and fullback in Week 1, as well as contributing on special teams. It appears the Saints currently view him as more relevant to winning a football game than Miller.
Kendre Miller Saints Stats
Miller was originally a third-round pick by the Saints in the 2023 NFL Draft at No. 71 overall out of TCU.
He has had three consecutive seasons of similar action while also dealing with numerous injuries.
In his rookie year, he ran 41 times for 156 yards and a touchdown — along with 10 catches for 117 yards, his best receiving output. He got into eight games.
In six games in 2024, Miller had 39 runs for 148 yards and a score.
Then in seven games last season, Miller ran 47 times for 193 yards and a TD.
Miller did carry the ball nine times for 30 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, which is likely part of the reason why it’s a surprise he’s out for Week 2.
Kendre Miller Future
Running backs in the modern NFL can quickly turn into journeymen, and while it hasn’t happened yet for Miller, it could be coming.
If the Saints stay healthy and keep making Miller inactive, he’ll turn into a trade candidate quickly as he approaches the end of his rookie contract.
Miller is still just 24, and it seems he’d have appeal to other teams for a late-round draft choice if he became available.
The Saints themselves have a (currently injured) back like that, Audric Estime, who barely lasted a year with the Broncos after they drafted him in the middle rounds.
Miller has been given a ton of chances by the Saints and not really run with any of them. Soon, that could mean the end of his time in New Orleans.
Enter Heavy's 2026 Pro Football Pick'em contest
Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim's basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men's national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen
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