The New Orleans Saints are almost through two weeks of training camp now, and with that, we have had the opportunity to see some new and some old faces. We have also been able to see the level of depth at the large majority of skill positions that had been accrued both this offseason and last. With wide receiver having more depth than ever, quarterback having three quality players, and tight end having a competition for roster spots, running back has somewhat gone under the radar to an extent. Bringing in two new rushers Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller has made things intriguing, but there is one name left out.
Alvin Kamara. Entering his seventh season in the NFL, he has been one of the better dual-threat backs we have seen in the game. With that, there have also been negatives, considering the more recent injury history and potential looming suspension. Regardless, his elite talent has placed him at #3 on our list of the top 25 Saints entering 2023. In this series, we take a look at the following topics for each of the members in the top 25:
- Recap of their 2022 season
- Projecting their 2023 success
- What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?
Firstly, let’s get a look at some background information for Alvin Kamara to get an idea of who he is on paper.
Background
Position: Running back
Age: 28
Experience: 7th season
2023 cap hit: $8,157,000
2022 Recap
2022 was not the best year of Kamara’s illustrious career, however it was still a pretty good quality season for him overall. The first thing worth noting is that his utilization was down compared to last year, in 2021 he had 240 rush attempts in 10 starts (13 games played), while in 2022 he had 223 rush attempts in 13 starts (15 games played), so despite playing in two more games he saw less rush attempts overall. Despite this, he had only one less rushing yard than the year prior, a higher yards per carry average, and more receiving touches.
Despite everything, he ended the year with 1,387 scrimmage yards, with five yards per touch and four touchdowns to four fumbles. The last part of that was heavily impacted by a high usage of Taysom Hill in the red zone, who had seven rushing touchdowns compared to Kamara’s two on the ground. Overall, not a phenomenal season for Alvin, but certainly an improvement from an efficiency standpoint compared to 2021.
2023 Outlook
2023 outlook is where things can get tricky with Kamara, as there are a lot of factors going into this. Firstly, a potential suspension could be in play, which for now is presumed to be between two and six games, so if that goes through we will see a lesser overall production obviously. On top of that, we have seen Kamara deal with various injuries in the past few seasons, between fractured rib cartilage in 2022, an MCL sprain in 2021, and both a PCL and pedal ankle sprain in 2019. This is not super concerning however as they are largely not connected to each other.
The up-tick in efficiency from 2021-2022 is great to see however, as this could show he is getting back to his old form and starting to break off bigger plays again. Also worth noting is that the offensive line is at least mostly healthy right now with the exception of Andrus Peat, so that will benefit his ability to run and find gaps.
Big question: Can Kamara be on the field to outplay his competition?
The question we now have with Kamara is can he remain in front of newly drafted Kendre Miller and free agent signing Jamaal Williams. With a potential suspension incoming, we may see a split backfield between Williams and Miller to start off the season, and if they get going, who knows what the dip in Kamara’s playing time may be.
The other side to this is that Kamara is being paid a significant chunk of change, and for good reason, he is extremely elusive and has elite contact balance. This may see him used more in a receiving capacity than we have seen before, which may be extremely beneficial to his success as he has other people in the room to take pressure off him. Between an extremely deep wide receiver/tight end group and more running backs to work with than before, this could allow Kamara the versatility he deserves beyond just being a bell-cow back.
