Per New Orleans Saints beat writer Nick Underhill, the knee injury Chandler suffered during Saturday's preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams is "feared to be serious."
The severity of the diagnosis explains a roster move the Saints made almost immediately afterward, trading for running back Zamir White from the Las Vegas Raiders the very next day.
He Was Winning The Roster Battle
Chandler had been building real momentum in a crowded backfield competition all preseason. In New Orleans' preseason opener against Jacksonville, he returned the opening kickoff 86 yards, setting up a touchdown just one play later and immediately making a case for a roster spot built partly on special teams value.
Ty Chandler suffered knee injury that is feared to be serious, per @nick_underhill.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 24, 2026
He'd carved out that opportunity behind a group that already included Alvin Kamara, Travis Etienne Jr., Devin Neal, Kendre Miller, and Audric Estime, a backfield thinned further by injuries to several of those names throughout camp.
Kamara himself is currently expected to miss at least a month with his own knee issue, and Estime has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, both factors that had pushed Chandler into more preseason reps than a typical seventh running back would normally see.
Earlier Knee Trouble
This isn't the first time a knee injury has derailed a season for Chandler.
The 2022 fifth-round pick missed 14 games with the Minnesota Vikings last year after suffering a knee injury in Week 1, not returning to the field until Week 17.
Across four NFL seasons, he's carried the ball 181 times for 710 yards and three touchdowns, adding 30 receptions and 15 kickoff returns, largely as a depth and special teams contributor.
He signed a one-year deal with New Orleans this offseason looking for a fresh start and a real role, competing directly with Neal for a backup spot behind Etienne before this latest setback.
Saints RB Ty Chandler suffered a knee injury today that team believes is serious, per @nick_underhill.
— SleeperSaints (@SleeperSaints) August 24, 2026
Nothing is set, but the team is preparing for a long absence 😔. #Saints pic.twitter.com/ojMjWqTfDa
The swift trade for White speaks to how seriously the Saints are treating the injury internally. Rather than wait for further testing or a corresponding roster shuffle, New Orleans quickly went to the market within a day, adding a proven if unspectacular veteran to stabilize a backfield that was already managing multiple injuries before Chandler's setback.
With final roster cuts arriving August 30, a serious knee injury at this stage would almost certainly end Chandler's chances of making New Orleans' 53-man roster, regardless of how well he'd played in the two preseason games leading up to it.
