Key players return to practice for the Saints ahead of Cowboys matchup

There is good news coming out of New Orleans to start the week. On Monday, the Saints saw the return of their dynamic rushing duo to practice. Running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram both participated in practice Monday, according to Tom Pelissero. Ingram was a full participant and Kamara was listed as limited. 

After taking it on the chin on Thanksgiving, courtesy of the Buffalo Bills, without either running back, having both backs at practice is more than welcomed for New Orleans. The Saints lost to the Bills last Thursday 31-6 and struggled in all areas of the game. Without Alvin Kamara and Ingram, the Saints compiled just 44 yards on the ground and struggled to gain any consistency on offense. New Orleans was just 5-14 on third-down conversions and 1-3 on fourth. 

Kamara has been on the Saints’ injury report with a knee injury dating back to Week 10. He has missed each of the last two weeks and was a non-participant on both Monday and Tuesday leading up to the game against the Bills. Ingram was a late scratch for Thursday with a shoulder injury. He did not participate at all in practice last Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Saints are preparing Hill to start

Also returning to full practice on Monday is quarterback Taysom Hill. Hill has been dealing with a plantar fasciitis injury recently. And he also missed time earlier in the season with a concussion he suffered against the Washington Football Team. So far on the year, the Saints 31-year-old multifaceted quarterback has been used more in his gadget role than as a true quarterback. But with him getting the chance to start in the Saints’ upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys, it will give Hill the opportunity to earn some of the money from his newly signed $95 million contract with Orleans. 

Hill has yet to be medically cleared to play, but if he is, all signs point to him getting the start over Trevor Siemian. Siemian has started every game for the Saints since starting quarterback Jameis Winston tore his ACL in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The New Orleans third-string quarterback was able to help secure the victory over their division rivals. But in his four starts that followed, the Saints are 0-4. On the season, Siemian has completed 57.2% of his passes with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. 

The Saints will play the Cowboys In a Thursday night primetime matchup at 7:20 p.m. CDT