New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara left Tuesday's joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys at River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California, with a knee injury — but early testing showed no tear, sparing the Saints their worst fear ahead of the regular season.

Kamara, 31, was helped off the field by a Cowboys trainer during the session, according to Larry Brown Sports, which first reported the encouraging test results. He is expected to miss "a few weeks," a real but manageable setback for a Saints offense that leaned heavily on him last season.

A Team Already Counting on Depth

Kamara rushed for 471 yards on 131 carries in just 11 games in 2025 — more than double the output of any other Saints running back — even as New Orleans finished among the bottom five NFL teams in rushing offense. The injury scare follows a 2025 season already interrupted by an MCL sprain, raising fresh questions about how much the Saints can lean on him at this stage of his career.

"EXPECTED OUT A FEW WEEKS" — NOT THE SEASON-ENDING NEWS NEW ORLEANS FEARED.

New Orleans has insurance in place: the team signed running back Travis Etienne Jr. in March, and he now steps in as the presumptive lead back while Kamara recovers. KMJ Now reported the team is still evaluating the exact return timeline, with the regular-season opener still weeks away.

The Saints have not issued an official statement beyond confirming Kamara is being evaluated. With training camp joint practices designed to get teams game-ready without the injury risk of preseason snaps, Tuesday's scare is a reminder of how thin that margin can be — even in what's supposed to be a lower-stakes setting.