Chris Ivory participated fully in practice today and is set to play in his first official NFL game on Sunday. As a running back for the Saints, he couldn’t pick a better opponent to get started against. The Saints host their arch rival Atlanta Falcons, and there’s a good chance Ivory will see extended reps. Right now the healthy backs on the roster are Pierre Thomas, Ladell Betts, and Ivory, so it’s entirely possible that Ivory is currently #2 in the pecking order.
Ivory was facing pretty long odds when training camp started, but a rash of injuries combined with his stellar preseason play moved him slowly up the depth chart. Lynell Hamilton, P.J. Hill and now Reggie Bush, who have all been ahead of Ivory at some point this year in the pecking order, have each had assorted serious leg injuries that will keep them out for an extended period of time. Ivory is actually coming back from a knee injury of his own, and he’s finally ready to come back this week. I expect Pierre Thomas to see an increased workload, but the way the Saints rotate players, I also expect that Ivory will see a fair amount of snaps. I can’t wait to see how he does being thrown in the fire!
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