The New Orleans Saints will have to get through one more game without Travis Etienne Jr. before his return becomes a possibility.

Etienne remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, keeping him out of Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris. However, his absence was locked in well before the Saints headed to France, and the upcoming bye means his earliest possible return won’t come until November.

What Happened to Travis Etienne Jr.?

Etienne injured his hamstring during New Orleans’ Week 3 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He had already been dealing with hamstring trouble heading into the matchup and ultimately exited in the third quarter after a 16-yard run.

The Saints thenplaced Etienne on injured reserve, committing to an extended absence while he recovered.

Head coach Kellen Moore said at the time that the running back would need at least four weeks to recover before the team reassessed his progress. Placed on injured reserve Oct. 1, Etienne was required to miss games against the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and Steelers, with Sunday’s matchup in Paris marking the end of that stretch.

So, there was never much mystery about Etienne’s status for the Steelers game. The Saints couldn’t simply wait until Sunday morning to see how he felt and make a late call. His injured-reserve designation meant he wasn’t eligible to play.

The injury also put a pause on what had been a promising start to Etienne’s first season in New Orleans. Through his first three appearances, Etienne rushed for 128 yards on 30 carries and added 11 receptions for 51 yards.

With the 27-year-old sidelined, the Saints have turned to Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller and C.J. Donaldson to shoulder the backfield workload.

When Will Etienne Return?

His earliest possible return is Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 8. The Saints have a bye in Week 8, meaning he won’t have a chance to return until after the break, even if he completes his required four-game absence.

Still, being eligible to return doesn’t necessarily mean Etienne will be ready to play. Moore initially indicated that the team would need to reassess his progress after at least four weeks, so his availability against Cleveland will depend on how his hamstring responds to treatment and recovery.

In the meantime, the Saints received some encouraging news about their other running backs ahead of Sunday’s game. Alvin Kamara was limited throughout the week with a back injury but finished Friday without a game-status designation.

C.J. Donaldson, who was dealing with a shoulder injury, practiced fully Thursday and Friday and also avoided a designation.

At 2-4, New Orleans needs more production from its backfield. Entering Week 7, Kamara ranks No. 31 among running backs with a PFN RB Impact Score of 71.5, while Kendre Miller sits at No. 45 with a 67.8 grade.

Getting Etienne back would give Moore another option in the backfield, but the Saints will have to make do without him for at least one more game.