Full Saints Thursday Injury Report: Alvin Kamara and Derek Carr Still Not Practicing

One player was added to the Saints injury report, while two other players had status changes.

Dec 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) walks the field before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Saints put out their second injury report, which will be one of their last for the season. New Orleans will see their disappointing campaign come to an end when they take on the Bucs in Tampa on Sunday for Week 18. A win by the Bucs will give them the NFC South, while the Falcons are relying on a Saints win and need to beat the Panthers.

One player was added to the injury report after five were non-participants of practice to start the week. All changes are noted in bold.

Saints Thursday Injury Report vs. Buccaneers - Week 18

Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) celebrates with running back Alvin Kamara (41) after a rushing touchdown during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

DID NOT PRACTICE

• Derek Carr (left hand)
• Alvin Kamara (groin)
• Kendre Miller (concussion)
• Payton Turner (ankle)

LIMITED

• Pete Werner (concussion)
• Juwan Johnson (knee
• Willie Gay Jr. (shoulder)

FULL

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest)
• Chris Olave (head)

Carr, Miller, Kamara and Turner were not spotted at the open portion of practice made available to the media, while Pete Werner was doing work off to the side.

Both Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara are doing what they can to get back on the field, as Kamara needs just 50 rushing yards to earn his first 1,000-yard season. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi said on Wednesday that the Saints were going to simulate game situations for Carr, seeing if his grip strength would be there for him. New Orleans is going to leave the window open for them as long as they can.

It'd be surprising to see Chris Olave in the finale, but he continues to make strides. Pete Werner passed the first step of the NFL's concussion protocol on Wednesday, and we'll have to see where Miller is at on Friday. Werner didn't have symptoms until after the game.

New Orleans currently holds the 10th spot in the draft, and there's no way they can get into the Top 5, even if they lost. They were one of four teams not to have Pro Bowl representation when the league announced the rosters earlier on Thursday morning. They're the only team in the NFC who didn't have someone on the list.