Saints news: Injured players returning, Rizzi strives to keep freshness, why Alvin Kamara named captain

The Rizzi Roll is continuing for the New Orleans Saints under interim coach Darren Rizzi. After breaking a seven-game losing streak on Sunday in his debut with a 20-17 win over NFC South-leading Atlanta, Rizzi is even winning against injuries, which plagued the Saints (3-7) all season. Until now.

And he is planning on keeping the new he put into New Orleans last week. This could mean a nice run as the Saints play struggling teams over the next three games - 2-7 Cleveland Sunday at home, then the 4-5 Los Angeles Rams at home after the Saints are open before the 2-8 Giants on the road. Rizzi also explains why he named star running back Alvin Kamara a team captain.

Center Erik McCoy, CB Kool-Aid McKinstry expected back after layoffs

The Saints were 2-0 when starting center Erik McCoy injured his groin on the team's first series against Philadelphia in week three. And the team was never the same. The running game suffered that day in a 15-12 loss to the Eagles, and a rash of offensive line injuries mounted.

McCoy had surgery and missed the Saints' next eight games on injured reserve. He practiced late last week on a limited basis but did not play in the win over Atlanta. He practiced on a limited basis again on Wednesday after the Saints on Monday waived center Connor McGovern, whom the team picked up from the Jets after McCoy's injury. McGovern started the last five games. The Saints waiving McGovern signals that McCoy will likely soon be activated.

McCoy, a second-round pick in 2019 from Texas A&M, is a six-year veteran who was a Pro Bowl selection last year.

"We didn't give him the whole thing yet," Rizzi said Wednesday afternoon following practice. "We have a process with him, and we've been working him back in."

Also returning to practice Wednesday was rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, which is key since the Saints just traded top cover corner Marshon Lattimore to Washington last week. McKinstry, a second-round pick from Alabama, practiced for the first time since injuring his hamstring on Oct. 27 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Saints also lost starting cornerback Paulson Adebo for the season to a broken femur (thigh bone) against Denver on Oct. 13.

"Both those guys are trending in the right direction," Rizzi said. "Erik probably is ahead of Kool-Aid at the moment, but hopefully as this week progresses, we get both those guys back full go."

Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson (shoulder) practiced on a limited basis Wednesday after missing the Atlanta game Sunday. Starting linebacker Pete Werner (hand), and starting guard Lucas Patrick (ankle) and backup running back Jamaal Williams (groin) did not practice.

Rizzi still rolling with the changes

Interim coach Darren Rizzi doesn't plan on changing what he already changed last week after taking over for fired coach Dennis Allen, such as the locker room and meeting seating and a faster pace of practice. But he plans on keeping the same vibe.

"There's a formula that we went with, and we want to duplicate that same formula," he said. "Part of that formula is energy, passion. I think I was the same guy on the practice field today that I was last week. It's easier to buy into that in the first week. Now, the players know the expectations. They know the tempo. They know how we're doing things."

And the first practice this week was better than last week.

"I thought it went smoother today than last Wednesday," Rizzi said. "Last Wednesday was a little bit choppier in my opinion because it was brand new. I thought we practiced a little bit better today.".

Why Alvin Kamara for captain?

Saints running back Alvin Kamara has been one of the team's best players since 2017, but he has not been in the captain's role until last week when Rizzi gave him a battlefield promotion.

"I thought Alvin Kamara presented great leadership all year," Rizzi said. "What he means to this city, what he means to this organization, the way he's played this year. He handled last week very well, and I just thought it was the right thing to do."

Kamara was one of the few vocal players about the team's issues as the losing streak grew to seven under Allen.

"Alvin was the guy who bought in the most of the whole team," Rizzi said. "When a veteran does that, the younger guys follow suit. He's been acting like a captain, playing like a captain. Why not make him a captain?"