POLL: Will Mark Ingram break the Saints career rushing record?

We all know that Mark Ingram is suspended for the first four games of the 2018 regular season for the New Orleans Saints. There are some media pundits who believe when Mark Ingram returns in Week 5, that he be returning as Alvin Kamara’s back-up.

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That’s not necessarily a knock on Ingram. It’s more of a complete to Alvin Kamara.

The 2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year could take the lead job and run with it in New Orleans for the first four games. But it’s more likely that someone like Jonathan Williams shares time with Kamara in the backfield rather than Kamara shouldering all of the load himself.

But whether Ingram comes back in his 50/50 timeshare with Kamara, or if Ingram comes back as a role-player, he’ll have a lot of ground to make up if he wants to eclipse the 1,000 yard rushing mark again. But 1,000 yards isn’t the biggest magic number for Ingram in 2018. It’s actually 734 - well, 735.

That’s how many yards Ingram is behind Deuce McAllister for the Saints all-time rushing record. With Ingram currently at 5,362, it takes 735 yards to pass Deuce in the Saints record books. That equates to only 62 yards per game the rest of the season.

But if Ingram were to come back from his suspension on a path similar to Willie Snead last year, Ingram just won’t be able to hit that number.

So, what says you Who Dat Nation? Will Mark Ingram break Deuce’s career rushing record? Or will injuries, poor performance, or Kamara stealing all of the touches, keep the ellusive record in the hands of Deuuuuce?

Ingram is a free agent at the end of 2018. With Kamara looking like the long-term back of the future (and with the Saints unlikely to pay Ingram’s market value in free agency with other, more pressing needs and limited cap space), it’s going to be now or never for Ingram.