Saints waive Kibodi from practice squad

Moves were expected at the running back position this week for the New Orleans Saints, and the first has now been made. With second-year running back Kendre Miller now eligible to return from Injured Reserve, the Saints are waiving Baton Rouge-native and running back Jacob Kibodi from the practice squad, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.

As an undrafted free agent, Kibodi had lived out his dream of signing with his childhood team, playing for them in the preseason and scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final preseason game at home. He was then able to find a spot on the team’s practice squad for the first four weeks. But now with Miller likely to return to practice this week, the Saints are healthier at running back. At least for now.

The relationship between Kibodi and the Saints should remain strong should there be a chance for him to return at a later time. These kinds of moves happen in the league without the door completely shutting on the pairing.

With an open spot on the practice squad the team could use that practice squad spot for one for their many injury-impacted positions. However, what seems likely is that the Saints could try to send rostered back Jordan Mims through waivers and move him to the practice squad. 

The Saints also have no need to rush here. With the practice window likely opening for Miller, he doesn’t have to count against the 53-man roster count until he is fully activated. The team could have up to three weeks of that window to allow things to shake out and make sure Miller gets back to playing conditioning. 

Therefore New Orleans could fill that open squad spot with depth at an injured position for up to the next three weeks. Then, once Miller is available to return to the active group, they could try to shuffle Mims to the practice squad at that time. It will all depend on how quickly Miller is ready to return to action.