Brett Duke / Associated Press
The New Orleans Saints will not have running backs Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, Michael Burton and Dwayne Washington on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
According to Fox’s Jay Glazer, Murray, Burton, Washington and running back coach Joel Thomas were placed on the reserve / COVID-19 list after Kamara was placed on the list on Friday.
Glazer noted that the Saints will take Ty Montgomery back to running back from the wide receiver and calling a running back from the training team for Sunday’s game.
Kamara is leaving the game of his life, running for 155 yards and an NFL record hitting six touchdowns in the 52-33 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day.
In the season, Kamara ran for 932 yards and 16 touchdowns by receiving 83 passes for 756 yards and five points.
Most of the backfield charge without Kamara in the lineup would normally go to Murray. As a main complement, he ran for 656 yards and four touchdowns. He also managed 23 passes for 176 yards and a score.
Burton is a defender and Washington is a reserve running back who has only eight runs.
Although Montgomery was primarily a wide receiver at Stanford, he had no lack of experience in running back.
He spent most of his six-year career as a running back on the Saints, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets.
His most productive season in that position came with Green Bay in 2016, when he ran 77 times for 457 yards and three touchdowns while staggering 44 passes for 348 yards.
The only running back listed in the Saints training squad is Tony Jones Jr., so he thinks about getting the call.
Jones played four seasons at Notre Dame, and his best statistical year was his senior campaign in 2019, when he ran for 857 yards and six touchdowns on 144 charged, while receiving 15 passes for 104 yards and a score.
With few running back options, Saints can air more often with quarterback Drew Brees. Head coach Sean Payton may also try to integrate reserve quarterback Taysom Hill and his ability to run more often.
The Saints have already won the NFC South and a playoff spot, so Sunday’s game is not of paramount importance, but they can still win seed number 1 and goodbye in the first round with a victory, another Packers defeat and a Seattle Seahawks win.