The New Orleans Saints will have Derek Carr playing just a week after suffering a seemingly serious shoulder injury, but they will also be getting star running back Alvin Kamara back on the field after he finished serving his three-game suspension to start the season. Kamara is a key piece for the Saints offense, and it sounds like he's expecting a big workload right out of the gate.
The Saints running back room has been beat up to start the season, with Kendre Miller missing the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, and Jamaal Williams getting placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury of his own. Miller is back now, and Tony Jones Jr. has proven himself to be capable when needed, but Kamara is expecting a full workload against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, despite the fact this is his season debut.
Via Jeremy Fowler:
“I’m told Alvin Kamara bracing for a full workload today. Will see how Saints deploy him but he’s ready for it.”
Kamara didn't have a fantastic season by his lofty standards in 2022 (223 CAR, 897 YDS, 2 TD, 57 REC, 490 YDS, 2 TD), but he is still one of the best dual-threat running backs in the NFL. And again, with the Saints running back room depleted, Kamara's presence will add an element to the offense that didn't exist to begin the season.
New Orleans has looked a bit lethargic on offense at times to start the season, but the return of Kamara will surely help them out in that sense. While the Saints may try to limit Kamara in his debut, the star running back is expecting to be on the field as much as possible, and given New Orleans' offensive situation, they may have no choice but to give Kamara his typical starting workload.