With Alvin Kamara sidelined, rookie running back has a golden chance to prove himself as the Saints’ lead back against Miami’s shaky defense
The New Orleans Saints will be without the services of Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara for the first time this season on Sunday when they take on the Miami Dolphins.
New Orleans released its list of seven inactives on Sunday and Kamara popped up on the list due to knee and ankle injuries, along with Ugo Amadi, Rejzohn Wright, Barry Wesley, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, John Ridgeway III, and Khristian Boyd.
The Saints rookie will have a shot on Sunday
"New Orleans Saints inactives for Sunday's game vs. the Miami Dolphins: No. 0 Defensive Back Ugo Amadi, No. 25 Cornerback Rejzohn Wright, No. 41 Running back Alvin Kamara, No. 69 Tackle Barry Wesley, No. 84 Tight End Zaire Mitchell-Paden, No. 95 Defensive Tackle John Ridgeway III, (and) No. 97 Defensive Tackle Khristian Boyd."
Kamara missed practice throughout the week after exiting the Saints' Week 12 loss against the Atlanta Falcons. With the five-time Pro Bowler out for Week 13, this will be the best opportunity of the season so far for rookie running back Devin Neal.
New Orleans lost backup running back Kendre Miller to injury earlier in the season, which opened the door for playing time for Neal. Now, he's the team's clear No. 1 running back with Kamara out. He popped up on the team's injury report earlier in the week with an ankle injury but was a full participant in Friday's practice.
On the season, Neal has just 61 rushing yards on 17 carries. His high on the season is just seven carries, which should change on Sunday. His season-high is 22 rushing yards on the season.
That might not excite the fanbase, but this is a guy who was electric in college. Neal had 1,266 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024 with Kansas in 12 games. In 2023, he had 1,280 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in 13 games played. This is a guy who had 21 or more receptions in three straight seasons, as well in college.
He hasn't been able to show the fanbase what he can do yet, but this will be his best chance yet. Plus, it doesn't hurt that his first extended look will be against a bad Dolphins defense as well.
Vance Joseph’s head-coaching stock rising; Broncos DC discusses future
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who also served as the team’s head coach from 2017-18, interviewed for the Raiders’ and Jets’ HC posts in this year’s carousel. While he did not appear to be a serious contender for either job, an October report suggested he would be back on the head coaching radar in a more meaningful way in 2026, and Mike Klis of 9News confirms as much.
According to Kils, Joseph is the candidate who has been mentioned most frequently with respect to one of the HC vacancies in the upcoming cycle. After working as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2019-22, the 53-year-old joined Sean Payton’s first staff in Denver in 2023. Although his ‘23 unit finished near the bottom of the league in terms of both total defense and points per game, his 2024-25 defenses have been among the NFL’s best
As Klis notes, Joseph is particularly well-regarded for his ability to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which is perhaps the most important attribute of a defense in the modern game. The Broncos have amassed a league-leading 112 sacks in the past one-and-a-half seasons, which is one of the reasons why Joseph is expected to generate so much HC interest (he has already been connected to the Titans’ vacancy).
When asked earlier this week about the attention his work has earned, Joseph predictably downplayed his HC aspirations while acknowledging that working under Payton has provided him with valuable insight as to how to “fix” a team (which is similar to what Commanders offensive coordinator and former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Joseph’s ex-boss, recently said about working under Dan Quinn).
“It’s flattering, but my second time through the process, or my third or fourth time through the process, I don’t think about it,” Joseph said. “I really don’t because I know it’s about winning. Everyone wants to hire winners. They want to hire someone who’s fixed something. And there’s no better example than what we’ve done here the last three years. Being with Sean Payton helped my learning with how to fix a team.”
Joseph posted a disappointing 11-21 record in his two seasons as the Broncos’ bench boss, but Denver’s quarterback situation during that time left much to be desired. Additionally, Joseph’s team was 6-6 in 2018 before injuries to Pro Bowlers Chris Harris and Emmanuel Sanders helped key a four-game skid to close that season.
As of the time of this writing, the 9-2 Broncos are just a half-game behind the Patriots for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Naturally, Joseph indicated his attention is focused on his team’s postseason push, and he said he will be happy to return to Denver if he does not land an HC job in 2026.
“The key is to win. And not worry about the process,” he said. “It’s the Broncos’ season right now and that’s my focus, honestly. If it happens, I’ll be happy. And if it doesn’t, I’m still going to have a good job. I have good players. I’m in a great city. I have no worries, honestly.”
His accomplishments aside, there could be another reason for the buzz around Joseph. As our Sam Robinson recently wrote in a subscribers-only piece, the would-be 2026 crop of offensive-minded HC talent (like Kingsbury) has not generated much momentum in 2025, which could make teams more inclined to consider defensive-oriented candidates.
