This might be nothing, but it could be something. New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was absent for his second consecutive day of training camp practice on Monday. This follows his outing in the first Saints preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, in which a botched exchange between Kamara and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater saw them both at the bottom of a pile of teammates and Vikings defenders fighting for a loose ball.
Kamara did stay in the game after that, and his night ended with a tough three-yard touchdown run being taken off the board by an unrelated holding penalty. He ultimately took the field for 10 snaps, all of them with the first-team offense, and gained 26 yards on six combined touches (four rushes, two catches). The Saints have not reported him as being injured.
Even if Kamara is just being held out for rest, it’s wise of the Saints to ease him into a lighter workload. They’re expecting him to be a big contributor to the offense again this year, especially with longtime tag-team partner and best friend Mark Ingram now playing for the Baltimore Ravens. Kamara’s comprehension of the system and his role within it is so fine-tuned that there really isn’t much for him to gain by practicing heavily in August. Save him for September.
Besides Kamara, a few other Saints players weren’t spotted at practice on Monday, including left tackle Terron Armstead. Armstead’s ankle was rolled up on by a falling Vikings defender in the preseason game, but he gutted through the obviously-painful situation to finish out his time with the first-team offense. Linebacker Alex Anzalone wasn’t observed, either, and he exited Friday’s preseason game after just five snaps. The Saints have not offered updates for either of them.
The following Saints were also not seen at practice:
- FB Michael Burton,
- FS Saquan Hampton
- G Will Clapp
- G Ethan Greenidge
- PR Marcus Sherels
- TE Alize Mack
While they were limited to individual injury rehab work with Saints medical staff, Garrett Griffin and Keith Kirkwood were present at the indoor practice facility. So they appear to be on their way back to action with the rest of the team.
The opposite might be true for right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who exited practice early during team drills while escorted by an athletic trainer. With both starting tackles out, Patrick Omameh stepped in for Ramczyk with Marshall Newhouse holding it down for Armstead.
Additionally, cornerback Marshon Lattimore spent his second straight practice wearing a red no-contact jersey, and he was only allowed to join the team in stretching and conditioning drills before practice. Lattimore has a history of hamstring injuries going back to his college career at Ohio State, and the Saints have carefully managed his condition over the last three years. A few days of rest in the middle of training camp isn’t unusual for him.
