IRVINE, Calif. — The No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft left New Orleans Saints practice on Thursday due to back tightness, according to Dennis Allen.
The third-year New Orleans head coach said he had "no idea" if rookie left tackle Taliese Fuaga would be available for the Saints' preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Following examination, WWL Louisiana media partner NOLA.com reported Fuaga walked off the field on his own.
2021 sixth-rounder Landon Young replaced Fuaga on the offensive line in team drills.
"It looked to me prior to even starting practice, it looked to me like he was stretching his back out a little bit," explained Allen. "So I don't know if that was bothering him beforehand."
When asked about Fuaga's availability for Sunday, Allen said: "I really have no idea right now. The only thing I know right now is he has back tightness."
Fuaga has been a standout during training camp this summer.
Star running back Alvin Kamara has missed the last two and a half practices due to the same issue.
Allen said Kamara's absence has nothing to do with his current contract situation with the front office, however he refused to speculate what those issues are. Kamara's status for Sunday is also unknown.
