A day after the NFL came down with its three-game suspension of star running back Alvin Kamara, the New Orleans backfield took another hit Saturday. Saints head coach Dennis Allen confirmed to reporters that running back Eno Benjamin suffered a ruptured Achilles, which will sideline him for the entire 2023 season.
Benjamin joined the Saints in mid-December after the team claimed him off waivers following his release from the Texans. The 24-year-old appeared in three games for New Orleans and logged five touches for 22 yards. Benjamin initially entered the league as a seventh-round draft choice of the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 out of Arizona State. He was released by the team after 11 weeks last season and quickly latched on with Houston before ultimately finding his way to the Saints.
Heading into 2023, Benjamin was looked at as a depth piece within the Saints backfield behind Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and rookie Kendre Miller. With Kamara set to miss the first three weeks of the year, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Benjamin would have seen an increased workload within New Orleans' offense, but now he'll be focusing on his recovery and gearing up for 2024.
As for the Saints, they are slated to have just Williams, Miller, and possibly undrafted rookie Ellis Merriweather for those initial three games to begin the year. With that in mind, it wouldn't be too surprising if the team elects to bring in another experienced back between now and Week 1 to ease the workload once the regular season kicks off.
