METAIRIE, La. -- Center Erik McCoy and running back Kendre Miller are out for the season, New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore announced Monday.
Tests confirmed that McCoy suffered a torn biceps and Miller a torn ACL in Sunday's 26-14 loss to the Chicago Bears, Moore said.
Moore did not say who will replace McCoy, but he said guards Cesar Ruiz and Torricelli Simpkins III both have experience playing center. The Saints (1-6) also traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars in August to acquire veteran center Luke Fortner.
"We'll have to navigate the roster as far as how that roster, how that position ends up playing out," Moore said. "We have about 24 hours to kind of sort through that, and then we'll have to put a plan of action together and move forward with this."
McCoy, a two-time Pro Bowl selection and team captain, has sustained a significant injury in the last two seasons and played in seven games in both 2024 and 2025. He had a groin injury that required an IR stint last season and also injured his elbow at the end of the 2024 season.
"He's one of our most impactful leaders on this team, and so other guys are going to have an opportunity to fill that void on the field," Moore said. "I think Erik still has that presence to all these guys no matter what capacity he's in, he'll do everything he can to help. I think the world of him; he's been playing some phenomenal football."
The loss of McCoy will be a significant blow to a struggling offense, which currently ranks 24th in total yards (297.9 yards per game) and 29th in points (17.9 points per game).
"When you have a guy like Erik who's been around this game for a really long time and he can communicate as well as any of them ever have, those other guys are all going to have to work together," Moore said. "It can't just be one person going into that position and say, 'Hey, they need to do everything Erik did.' That whole group needs to raise their level of communication. ... This is going to be a big opportunity for those guys to step up even more."
Miller, who spent time on IR last season with a hamstring injury, was backing up Alvin Kamara and had a career-high 193 rushing yards and a touchdown this season. Rookie Devin Neal will likely get extended playing time behind Kamara now that Miller is out.
"I'm really proud of what Kendre has turned this season into from an individual standpoint, the progress he's made, it's a really unfortunate timing from an injury perspective ... there'll be some challenging days for him because of this," Moore said. " ... He's going to be better moving forward. He'll be back and have more opportunities in the future."