We’ve got 35 days to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season, which makes the current owner of the No. 35 jersey our Saints Player of the Day. Rookie running back Jacob Kibodi must make some moves in next week’s preseason game to make the team:
- Name (Age): Jacob Kibodi (25)
- Position: Running back
- Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 225 pounds
- Relative Athletic Score: 3.60
- 2024 salary cap hit: $797,000
- College: Louisiana (Lafayette)
- Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
- NFL experience: Rookie
Kibodi’s college career initially began at Texas A&M (where he appeared in 15 games), but he transferred to Louisiana in 2021 and steadily climbed the depth chart. He led the Ragin’ Cajuns in carries, rushing yards, and touchdown runs in 2023 before signing with the Saints as a rookie free agent after the 2024 draft.
He’s facing long odds of making the team. Kibodi doesn’t have a ton of experience running on special teams or playing on third down — he’s only caught 19 passes at the college level and wasn’t asked to pick up the blitz in pass protection very often. Those are the skills he must cultivate to make the cut.
Last year the Saints rostered just three running backs for much of the season: Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Kendre Miller, with Jordan Mims and James Robinson on the practice squad. Kamara and Williams appear to be safe, and it’s tough to see the Saints moving on from Miller after just one season. Mims is doing well at training camp and Robinson has flashed more often to this point than Kibodi has. We’ll see what he can do in next week’s preseason game with the Arizona Cardinals. Expect guys like Kibodi, Robinson, and Mims to see plenty of snaps as the coaches work to thoroughly evaluate the position.