Well that’s disappointing. The Arizona Cardinals made an odd move this week in letting go of running back Eno Benjamin, who had been a big player for them this season; and he was popular on the waiver wire, with ESPN’s Field Yates reporting that four teams submitted claims to add him, including the New Orleans Saints. With the Saints slotted in at No. 4 on waiver wire priority, they had a good chance of getting him.
But the top-ranked Houston Texans submitted a claim too, and that’s where Benjamin wound up. Yates adds that the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs also tried to snag Benjamin off of waivers, but they wouldn’t have had a chance even if the Texans didn’t get involved. Both teams are behind the Saints in waiver priority.
Benjamin would have been a nice addition. The second-year pro has averaged 4.0 yards per carry in the NFL while catching 30 receptions in 19 games, and he’s under contract through 2023. For a team like the Saints that expects to be without its top running back at some point (a suspension is looming for Alvin Kamara after his alleged involvement in a Las Vegas brawl early this year), that matters.
So where do the Saints go from here? New Orleans is also managing an injury to backup Mark Ingram II, and they made the oddly-timed decision to cut both of their practice squad running backs on Tuesday. Their depth chart is in flux, and it remains to be seen how it will stabilize ahead of their Week 11 game with the Los Angeles Rams. Hopefully Ingram can return to back up Kamara along with special teams ace Dwayne Washington, but this feels like a bigger question that won’t be truly answered until the offseason.