Could Young Saints Make A Comeback For Giants Matchup?

Saints may get at least a couple of their ''walking wounded'' back for Sunday's game at the Giants

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) runs past Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. (3) / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

No NFL team has been crippled more by injuries this season, or possibly in any year, than the New Orleans Saints. Several starters or key contributors have missed large chunks of action this year. Cornerback Paulson Adebo and WR Rashid Shaheed were both lost for the season before the midway point.

Wideout Chris Olave has missed the last three games with a concussion. With multiple concussions this year, Olave may also (wisely) choose to sit out the rest of the season. Offensive linemen Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick have missed more time than they've played.

Both McCoy and Patrick have been limited participants in practice this week according to John Hendrix of the Saints News Network and could play Week 14 against the Giants. One who won't and is joining the list of season-ending injuries is Taysom Hill, who went down with a knee injury during last week's loss to the Rams.

There do look to be a couple players that could be headed back to action, perhaps as soon as this week against New York.

Defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon has been on the PUP list since early this offseason with an Achilles injury. The Saints opened his 21-day practice window last week and even though he practiced, he was listed as a game-day inactive against the Rams.

Injured Reserve Returns?

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means (16) catches a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

MEANS

Rookie wide receiver Bub Means and second-year running back Kendre Miller are both eligible to return from injured reserve this week. Means, 23, has been out of action since injuring his ankle during a Week 8 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers.

A fifth-round choice out of Pitt, Means started his collegiate career at Tennessee before transferring to Louisiana Tech, then after two years transferred to Pitt for his last two years. In 2023 with the Panthers, Means caught 41 passes for 721 yards and was among the ACC leaders in contested catches.

Means also dealt with an ankle injury that hindered him through training camp and into the regular season. He'd see little action through the first five contests, not recording a reception and getting targeted only once.

Against the Buccaneers in Week 6, Means had his first significant impact. He caught five passes for 45 yards and his first NFL touchdown against Tampa Bay, then followed that up with three receptions for 37 yards the following week against Denver. Before being knocked out early against the Chargers, Means pulled in one catch for 36 yards.

Without Olave and Shaheed, the Saints have severely lacked weapons at wide receiver. Free-agent addition Marquez Valdes-Scantling has made some big plays over the last three weeks, but nobody else at the position has made any impact. The addition of Means would give New Orleans another short and intermediate target with good ability after the catch.

Means was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday. On Thursday, Means was a non-participant according to John Hendrix of the Saints News Network, putting his availability for Sunday in question.

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) picks up yards against the Indianapolis Colts / Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Like Means, Kendre Miller has also been out of action since the Week 8 game against the Chargers. He's played in only two games this year and has played in only 10 of a possible 29 games over his two-year NFL career.

MILLER

A third-round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft out of TCU, Miller had a breakout year with 1,399 rushing yards and 17 scores in 2023 with the Horned Frogs. His rookie year was hampered by a few different injuries, but when healthy he has showcased impressive skills.

Miller had 156 rushing yards and caught 10 of 11 targets for 117 receiving yards in eight games as a rookie. Most of that production came over the span of just four games, as Miller played more than 15 offensive snaps in only three contests. Despite limited availability, he still showed power, elusiveness, and burst as a runner and promising receiving ability.

On the first day of this year's training camp, Miller sustained a hamstring injury that kept him out for the entire preseason and first six games of the regular season. He finally returned in Week 7 against the Broncos, rushing for 36 yards. The following week against the Chargers, Miller had three carries for 16 yards before leaving with the ankle injury, his latest in a long string of issues.

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) carries the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In a controversial move, since-fired coach Dennis Allen surprisingly placed Miller back on injured reserve. It meant that the young back would be required to miss at least another four games, despite reports indicating that the injury wasn't that serious.

With Allen now gone, interim coach Darren Rizzi sounds like he's encouraged about Miller's abilities. Rizzi said earlier this week that it'll be ''all gas, no brakes'' when Miller returns to the lineup.

Miller's presence is certainly needed. Badly. With Taysom Hill now out and Jamaal Williams continued ineffectiveness, only Alvin Kamara is a legitimate backfield threat. Kamara is having his best year as a rusher, despite the lack of help around him and extra defensive attention. If Miller can actually stay on the field, he adds an intriguing set of skills to the Saints offense.

New Orleans, now at 4-8, plays at the 2-10 New York Giants this Sunday. New York enters this week with the league's 29th-ranked run defense. The Saints have until 4pm Eastern Time on Saturday to officially activate either Kendre Miller or Bub Means if they are to play this Sunday.