Saints put Etienne on injured reserve and promote Kevin Austin

The Saints placed Travis Etienne Jr. on injured reserve Thursday, removing the running back from their active roster ahead of Monday night's game against Atlanta. New Orleans also promoted receiver Kevin Austin Jr. from the practice squad and signed running back Ulysses Bentley IV and edge defender David Ojabo to the practice squad.

The official roster announcement confirms a longer absence for Etienne rather than a one-game practice concern. Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reported that coach Kellen Moore announced the move Thursday and that Etienne must miss at least four games. The move does not guarantee a return immediately after that minimum.

Etienne carried 30 times for 128 yards through the first three games, according to Alper's report. Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and C.J. Donaldson remain the other running backs on the active roster. Bentley's practice-squad signing provides another option but does not place him on Monday's active game-day roster.

Austin has appeared in all three games through standard elevations and caught one pass for seven yards, the Saints said. His promotion establishes an active-roster place as the club prepares for Atlanta. For RSO managers, Etienne's minimum absence is the firm decision; the division of the remaining backfield workload still needs to be observed.