New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen sent a message to running back Kendre Miller that he needs to be healthy if he’s going to make the team.

Among New Orleans Saints players entering training camp, not many had more excitement surrounding them than Kendre Miller. The second-year running back was coming off a promising rookie season where he carried the ball 41 times for 156 yards and a touchdown. That included a Week 18 performance with 13 rushes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Fans were waiting all offseason to see how Miller would build off that momentum going into year two. Unfortunately, the young running back injured his hamstring on the first day of camp and hasn’t practiced since. On the day of the injury, head coach Dennis Allen sent a brutal message to Miller, telling the running back that he needs to figure out how to stay healthy if he wants to make the team.

While the very blunt message that Miller “needs to figure out how to stay healthy because you can’t make the team when you’re always in the training room” caught a lot of people off guard, it’s only right to ask if Allen really meant those words.

It’s often said in the NFL, and sports in general, a player isn’t supposed to lose their spot while injured. Miller is one of the most promising young players on the Saints roster; could he really be cut because a hamstring injury kept him out of camp?

Is Kendre Miller really at risk of being cut by the Saints?

Honestly, that’s incredibly hard to fathom. Miller has dealt with multiple injuries in his young career, but usually, talented players get the benefit of the doubt. Between Miller’s age, 22, and the circumstances of the roster, New Orleans probably won’t move on from him just yet.

The Saints still have Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams, so Miller is still somewhat of a future plan. With Kamara and Williams both 29, it wouldn’t be smart for New Orleans to get rid of the team’s most talented young running back.

Miller’s future with the team will largely depend on two things. The first is, of course, when he heals up and returns to the field. The second is Jordan Mims’ performance. Mims, also a second-year running back, is older at 25, but he has taken Miller’s reps, and been impressive. If he can keep that up, and prove his future is just as bright as Miller’s, Mims would give the Saints something to think about.