Saints RB Kendre Miller injures knee in preseason opener

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints rookie running back Kendre Miller left Sunday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs with a knee injury, potentially dealing another blow to the team’s thinning depth.

Saints coach Dennis Allen said Miller sprained a knee and will undergo further testing. Allen said he believed the injury is to the right knee, the same one Miller injured in the Fiesta Bowl in December. That injury kept Miller off the field until the beginning of training camp as he rehabbed during OTAs.

Miller came off the field in the third quarter and went to the injury tent on the sideline before eventually walking to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

The Saints will be shorthanded to begin the season if they don’t sign another running back. Starting running back Alvin Kamara will miss the first three games while serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. While Jamaal Williams will start in his place, Miller likely would have been his immediate backup while Kamara was suspended.

The Saints hosted free agent running back Kareem Hunt last week after Eno Benjamin ruptured an Achilles in practice. Hunt visited with the Saints staff in New Orleans but left before working out. Hunt went on to visit the Indianapolis Colts and the Minnesota Vikings but has not signed with a team.

Rookie Ellis Merriweather is the only other available running back on the Saints roster behind Kamara and Williams, as converted wide receiver Kirk Merritt is injured. Merriweather had nine carries for 24 yards and caught two passes for 17 yards, including a 2-yard reception for a touchdown with 1:25 left in Sunday’s game.

“I thought he got in there and ran the ball pretty well,” Allen said of Merriweather after the game. “I thought he ran the ball really physically. He had a really nice run that got called back … but it was a good run.”