Saints' Kamara returns to practice while Jordan is ruled out for Sunday's opener at Detroit

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints running back Alvin Kanara returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his knee during practice on Aug. 18, but coach Kellen Moore ruled out veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan for New Orleans' opener on Sunday at Detroit.

Kamara's chances of playing this weekend also remained unclear after he was limited during practice, but his presence on the field raised the prospect of the 10-year veteran returning soon.

“Good to get him back out there,” Moore said. “He did some good things. Any time you’re going through injury stuff, you’ve got see how things respond and then we’ll see.”

Kamara was not projected to be New Orleans' primary running back this season, but said he was OK with that when he agreed to take a pay cut to remain with the club for his final season under contract.

When free agency began in March, the Saints moved decisively to sign former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne to a four-year, $48 million contract, effectively designating him the starter.

When Kamara agreed to return, the Saints spoke of the importance of having a rotation of two proven, versatile running backs who also can contribute as receivers out of the backfield.

Quarterback Tyler Shough called Kamara's presence at practice a “huge” development.

“He shows up to practice today and I’m like, ‘Looks like nothing’s happened. He hasn’t missed a step,’” Shough said. “It’s going to be big for us, just because it brings so much variety to our offense. It brings so many different elements. So, having him and Trav back there, it’s really dangerous.”

Jordan's timeline is unclear. He has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since early August. But the Saints elected not to put him on injured reserve, meaning “there's potential,” Moore said, that the 37-year-old defensive end could return by Week 4.

Jordan is “going to do everything possible to play” soon, Moore said. “He’s progressing well. He’s done a really good job during this recovery process and we’ll just take it week by week.”

Also not practicing on Wednesday were rookie tight Oscar Delp (hamstring) and reserve running back Audric Estime (thigh), who has been out since the Saints' preseason finale at Dallas on Aug. 28.

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