It’s beginning to look like the New Orleans Saints will be without Alvin Kamara for a stretch of games in 2023. The star running back was one of four men indicted in an alleged beating at a Las Vegas nightclub last year, with a district court date scheduled for March 2. The NFL won’t take action with discipline until the legal process has concluded, so if Kamara is sentenced soon he should expect to be sidelined for about six weeks in the fall.
That’s sent a lot of Saints fans looking at running back free agents and draft prospects, but it’s a position of need for New Orleans regardless of Kamara’s status. Their only running backs under contract for 2023 are Kamara, Eno Benjamin, Derrick Gore, and fullback Adam Prentice. Outside of Kamara, that group produced 8 carries for 22 rushing yards and 4 receptions for 18 receiving yards last season. Mark Ingram II, David Johnson, and Dwayne Washington are all headed for free agency in March.
The point is that there wasn’t much to like out of Kamara’s backups. The Saints need to get younger and more explosive in the backfield. Knowing whether he’ll be unavailable for a month or longer might make that more of a priority, but it’s an area of concern either way. Kamara’s surging salary cap hits are a factor, too — he’s due to count against the cap by amounts of $16 million, $16.8 million, and $27 million over the next three years.
So between a lack of depth behind him, the increasing cost to keep him, and a nosedive in productivity (2022 was the first season in which Kamara was not voted into the Pro Bowl, ending his five-year streak) the Saints should already be taking a hard look at their options this offseason.
And who might be on their radar? A great prospect already popular in New Orleans is Tulane running back Tyjae Spears, a mid-round prospect in this year’s NFL draft who just tore it up at the Senior Bowl. He’s projected to go in the same range as Devon Achane (Texas A&M), Zach Charbonnet (UCLA), Tank Bigsby (Auburn), and Roschon Johnson (Texas).
Free agency is also an option. Top running backs like Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkely will be outside their budget, as could Miles Sanders and David Montgomery (and Tony Pollard is expected to receive the franchise tag from the Dallas Cowboys). More realistic targets may include D’Onta Foreman, Jeff Wilson, and Alexander Mattison. It’s tough to justify two expensive veteran contracts at running back, but the Saints are entering a situation where it makes sense if they can find someone that might make Kamara expendable.
Hopefully that’s not where we’re headed. It’s for the best if Kamara is playing the best football of his career in New Orleans. But this uncertainty clouding his future might make that tough to pull off. Let’s see how this situation develops in the months ahead.