NFL: Breaking down the Saints crowded backfield in OTAs

Are there enough carries for the Saints crowded running back room

Mark Ingram struggled somewhat last season, ceding some carries to current 49er Tim Hightower. New Orleans signed all-time great Adrian Peterson and drafted the highly touted Alvin Kamara in the second round. The Saints have a backfield monster behind Drew Brees.

Mark Ingram was one of the league’s better halfbacks coming into last season. He stumbled at times, largely due to his issues with ball security. Tim Hightower eventually carved a timeshare with the former Alabama standout as a result.

Ingram ran like a bat out of hell down the stretch though, finishing the season with a career-high 1,043 rushing yards. Hightower signed with San Francisco, meaning Ingram would presumably reclaim the majority of the carries in the 2017 season. There wasn’t much of a threat to lose carries to anyone on the depth chart other than the since-departed Hightower.

May 25, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) participates in passing drills during organized team activities at the New Orleans Saints training facility. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports /

However, the status quo has been drastically altered. The Saints went out and inked Adrian Peterson to a deal that nobody saw coming. The thought of an all-time great running back joining an all-time great quarterback in Drew Brees sends chills down spines.

Nobody can be sure how much the legend has left in him at the age of 32, especially coming off of a torn meniscus. On the flip side, it would be foolish to bet against him after his ridiculous 2,000+ campaign after tearing his ACL the season before.

As if the Peterson acquisition wasn’t adding insult to injury, drafting Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara certainly is. Kamara tore it up in Knoxville, warranting high praise from analysts and scouts alike. Kamara was arguably a first round talent that fell to the Saints in the second round. He can run, he can catch, and he is a weapon on special teams. Kamara is the total package, and New Orleans lapped him up once he escaped the first round. Not a bad review for a third-string player.

With all of this talent in the backfield, how will carries be split amongst this three-headed monster?

The front office does not think that Ingram will remain much of a game-changer for a long time. If they did, they wouldn’t have thrown cash at Adrian Peterson and spent a crucial second-round draft selection, Alvin Kamara. There are certainly some questions regarding Ingram within the organization.

That being said, there is no way that this franchise will just take the ball out of Ingram’s hands. After all, he did manage to cross the 1,000-yard mark and currently has the third-highest career total rushing yardage (4,238) in franchise history. He sits less than thirty yards behind George Rogers for second place underneath Deuce McAllister. The man can run the rock.

Adrian Peterson claims to have plenty left in the tank but only time will tell. If he is even a shell of what he once was, the Saints will have themselves a battle for the starting job. However, the more likely scenario is that he is a ticking time bomb, as shown by his poor rushing totals last season before his injury. /

That can partially be attributed to the porous offensive line in front of him in Minnesota, but one can surmise that his age played a part in his ineffectiveness as well. He’ll get plenty of opportunities, but unless he makes the most of them, he’ll only have a timeshare with Ingram. As hard as it is to comprehend, it would likely take an injury or a resurfacing of Ingram’s ball-security issues to give Peterson a shot at the lead role.

Alvin Kamara will be a lethal weapon in the backfield and as a receiver. Kamara can do a lot with the ball in his hands; it is just a matter of getting him the ball. He isn’t limited to handoffs from the backfield. He can run routes well and can operate on screen plays too.

Sean Payton will find a way to get the ball into the rookie’s hands. He’ll also be very active on special teams. New Orleans will get everyone their fair share of touches, through the air and on the ground. Kamara comes in as the clear third option behind Ingram and Peterson.