Here’s another option for the too-thin New Orleans Saints running backs room. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Houston Texans are waiving running back Eno Benjamin on Tuesday, putting the former Arizona Cardinals backup on the waiver wire. And the Saints were one of four teams to submit waiver claims when Arizona let Benjamin go — Houston had highest priority, so that’s where he landed, though New Orleans was also in the mix along with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Saints are ahead of both of those teams in waiver priority this time, so they should have a good chance at landing Benjamin if they so choose. They’re currently fifth in waiver priority behind the Texans, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Rams, none of whom submitted a waiver claim the last time Benjamin became available. So it’s very possible the Saints get their guy.
They should certainly be motivated after losing Mark Ingram II to a knee injury. Ingram’s year is likely done, leaving a motley crew of Alvin Kamara, Dwayne Washington, and David Johnson on the 53-man roster with Derrick Gore on the practice squad. Benjamin wasn’t able to carve out a role with the Texans behind rookie standout Dameon Pierce. He only saw a dozens snaps on offense in two games with Houston, totaling 3 carries to gain a single yard without catching a pass. Even with Kamara on top of the depth chart, he’d likely get more opportunities in New Orleans.
We’ll find out whether they made a move for Benjamin on Wednesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire. Benjamin is a 23-year old third-year pro out of Arizona State who averaged 4.1 yards per carry with the Cardinals, catching 24 of his 33 targets for another 184 receiving yards this season. His best game this season came against the Saints back in Week 7 when Benjamin gained 92 rushing yards on 12 carries while catching 4 of his 5 targets for 21 receiving yards, scoring a 5-yard touchdown run to put the game away late in the fourth quarter.
