Running back still a position of need for the Saints

No one knows what is going to happen to Alvin Kamara this offseason. Not Alvin Kamara, not Pro Football Talk, and likely not even the New Orleans Saints.

All that is known at this time is that Kamara’s offseason incident could result in a suspension for the 2022 season for an amount of games still to be determined. However, this uncertainty leaves the Saints with a question mark at the running back position. What if Alvin Kamara is indeed suspended for a large chunk of the 2022 season? Can the Saints really rely on 32-year-old Mark Ingram to carry the workload in what many hope to be a high-powered offense? Is there a reason Saints UDFA rookie Abram Smith went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft?

When ESPN’s Field Yates tried to name the one move their team still needs to do this offseason (Insider required), it should come as no surprise then that for the New Orleans Saints the move was to address the running back room:

Sign another running back

We’re following the breadcrumbs here, as the Saints have hosted Sony Michel and David Johnson on free-agent visits, signaling the team feels as though one more veteran back is valuable given its current backfield depth. While Alvin Kamara is the locked-in starter and Mark Ingram II will serve as the top backup, Kamara is set for a hearing on Aug. 1 following his February arrest on battery charges in Nevada. Any potential Kamara punishment from the league is uncertain at the moment, but running back could become a major need in the event that he is suspended.

Across the NFC South, Yates suggests the Carolina Panthers pull the trigger on a trade for Browns QB Baker Mayfield, the Atlanta Falcons finally make a decision on LB Deion Jones, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers add depth to their tight end group after the retirement of Rob Gronkowski.

Speaking of tight end, that is another position that the Saints should be looking for potential ways to improve as the 2022 season draws closer. Taysom Hill, Adam Trautman, and Juwan Johnson are a less-than-inspiring trio of pass-catchers, and if the Saints offense indeed were to miss Kamara for any amount of time in 2022, another offense weapon at tight end could surely help.