METAIRIE, La. -- Another day, another surprise move by the New Orleans Saints at the running back position.
The Saints waived rookie sixth-round draft pick Boston Scott on Wednesday, according to sources, leaving Alvin Kamara and newly signed veteran Mike Gillislee as the only two running backs on their active roster while Mark Ingram is serving a four-game suspension.
The Saints' decision to release veteran running back Jonathan Williams on Saturday also came as a surprise -- though they re-signed him to their practice squad and replaced him with Gillislee the next day.
The Saints also have former Detroit Lions running back Dwayne Washington on their practice squad. It's possible one of them could be promoted to the active roster in time for Sunday's season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Saints coach Sean Payton has insisted that he doesn't plan to overwork Kamara during Ingram's four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. However, it's unclear how big of a role they'll give Gillislee during his first week with the team.
Payton said Monday that the Saints view Gillislee as a tough, physical, first- and second-down runner and don't expect him to be heavily involved in the passing game. Gillislee was released by the New England Patriots on Saturday.
Scott -- who was the shortest player selected in this year's NFL draft at 5-foot-6 -- appeared to be in line for a significant role after an impressive preseason. The former Louisiana Tech standout ran the ball 25 times for 121 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He also returned seven kickoffs for 188 yards and one punt for 13 yards.
The Saints have now released four of their seven draft picks this week, including fourth-round offensive tackle Rick Leonard, fifth-round cornerback Natrell Jamerson, sixth-round safety Kamrin Moore and Scott.
The Saints used Scott's roster spot to re-sign veteran offensive lineman Michael Ola on Wednesday, according to a source. It's possible that the team wanted to add depth in case starting left guard Andrus Peat isn't healthy in time for Week 1 -- but the Saints also re-signed veteran guard Josh LeRibeus earlier this week, giving them 10 offensive linemen on the roster.