The New Orleans Saints don't have an ideal running back situation at the moment. Between Alvin Kamara's suspension and the recent injury of Jamaal Williams, New Orleans is left with a thin RB room. It just got even slimmer following the team's decision to cut loose backup running back Kirk Merritt, according to Brooke Kirchhofer of NewOrleans.Football.

Merritt had played in only one game in the 2023 NFL season with the Saints before his release. He appeared in the Saints' 16-15 Week 1 win at home over the Tennessee Titans and did not see action in last Monday's 20-17 road victory against the Carolina Panthers.

Merritt originally played the wide receiver position in the NFL but made the change to running back when he was still on the Saints' practice squad. However, he played as a wide receiver in the Titans game during the two snaps he was on the field.

The Saints's move on Merritt came on the heels of a surprising success by running back Tony Jones Jr. during the win against the Panthers. Jones, who was promoted from the practice squad to provide help in the backfield in Week 2, rushed 12 times for 34 rushing yards and a couple of touchdowns. The Saints can call up Jones again, but doing so would mean that they will have to add him to their official 53-man roster.

It will be weeks before Williams will be able to return to action after suffering a hamstring injury on Monday, while rookie running back Kendre Miller is still nursing the same lower-body issue.