METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints put running back Travis Etienne Jr. on injured reserve, which will sideline him for at least the next four games.
Saints coach Kellen Moore said "we'll see," when asked if Etienne could return close to the initial four-game timetable.
"It'll take a little while," Moore said. "So obviously we felt like it would be at least four weeks and then we'll just kind of see how this thing progresses."
Moore said that Etienne's injury did not require surgery.
Kendre Miller and Alvin Kamara will take the majority of Etienne's snaps, with rookie CJ Donaldson working in short-yardage situations, as well as special teams and pass protection. The Saints also signed Ulysses Bentley IV to the practice squad Thursday.
"I think Alvin and Kendra will handle that load really well. CJ's obviously kind of [got] his specific role," "Moore said. "We got some guys on the practice squad as we kind of navigate the next few weeks. And so I feel like we're in a good place."
Etienne injured his hamstring in the Saints' Week 3 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He left the game in the third quarter after grabbing his left hamstring at the end of a 16-yard run and did not return. Etienne had been dealing with hamstring issues in the week leading up to the game.
The Saints signed Etienne to a four-year, $52 million contract in free agency, and later worked out a revised contract with Kamara that gave him a lower base salary while adding up to $8.5 million in incentives. The reworked deal, signed in July, brought Kamara back for another season in New Orleans.
Kamara was inactive in Week 1 as he recovered from a sprained MCL sustained in training camp.
"Very few times this league is one running back going to haul the load. That's just what this league is," Moore said. "And so you're going to need a number of backs to carry the ball in different circumstances. And so Alvin's done a nice job to start the season. ... I thought last week there was some good stuff in there and we'll just keep continuing to build on that. ... He'll slide in there. He'll handle it really well. Kendre's played a number of snaps. He played some really good football last year in the start this season. So, we'll continue to roll with these guys."