Despite standing firm with his desire to get a new contract worked out, Alvin Kamara has been a full participant throughout camp, noting that he doesn't intend to risk fines or let his New Orleans Saints teammates down by sitting out as the two sides continue to negotiate. But for the last few days, Kamara's involvement in Saints practice has been minimal, leading some to believe that it could be a contract-motivated decision that he's making, similar to the one that the 29-year-old Kamara made when he sat out mandatory minicamp.
After seeing the field briefly in the Saints' preseason opener versus the Arizona Cardinals, carrying the ball twice for only three yards in the win, Kamara has now been sidelined for the last two and a half practices. Today, New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen addressed the media and cleared the air, letting everyone know that Kamara's absence is due to a familiar back issue, not anything related to his dissatisfaction with his current deal.
“Saints coach Dennis Allen said RB Alvin Kamara’s absence from the last 2.5 practices has ‘zero' to do with any contract issues as far as he knows,” writes Saints beat writer Mike Triplett on Twitter. “He said it’s a back tightness issue that Kamara has dealt with before. Previously said he wasn’t too worried about it.”
Alvin Kamara might not be worried, but Saints fans should be, particularly if this is an injury that lingers throughout the year. There isn't a ton of pop in the Saints running back room outside of Alvin Kamara. Jamaal Williams fell back down to earth in 2023 after rushing for a career and NFL season-high 17 touchdowns in 2022.
2nd-year 3rd Round pick Kendre Miller could only muster 156 yards on 41 attempts during his rookie season. Even Kamara, once considered one of the league's most electric backs, has taken a step back. In 2023, he averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and found the end zone a total of six times.
Saints chances to win up-for-grabs NFC South
The general consensus seems to agree that while either the Atlanta Falcons or the three-time defending division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will come away with the NFC South crown in 2024, the Saints and Panthers are being looked at as distant outside choices. But grouping New Orleans in with Carolina may end up looking foolish by the time December rolls around.
By the metrics, the Saints were actually the best team in the NFC South last year. New Orleans was narrowly edged out of a postseason berth as a 9-win team, but according to Pro Football Reference, their expected win total was 10.5. They finished the season with seventh-best point differential in the entire league behind only the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
The problem is, there's just not much to be excited about with this football team. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed is an interesting wide receiver duo, but this may be the deepest that the NFL has ever been at wide receiver. Derek Carr was an MVP candidate… eight years ago, and Alvin Kamara hasn't made a Pro Bowl for the last two years after getting that nod in each of his first five seasons in New Orleans.
Yet I can't shake the feeling that when December rolls around, the Saints will find a way to be near .500 and once again in the mix for a postseason berth.
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