The New Orleans Saints offense already made a massive change this offseason when they signed Derek Carr to come in and be their new quarterback, but they may not be done adding to their offense just yet. With Alvin Kamara suspended for the first three games of the season and Eno Benjamin rupturing his achilles during training camp, New Orleans opted to bring Kareem Hunt in for a visit.

The logic behind bringing Hunt in for a visit makes a lot of sense. With Kamara out, that thrusts Jamaal Williams into the spotlight, and while he's certainly capable, it's best to not give him every touch in those first three games. 2023 Third-round pick Kendre Miller has upside, but expecting immediate contributions from him in the first three games of his career probably isn't a wise move.

Hunt may end up really only being truly valuable for New Orleans in their first three games of the season, but there's often quite a bit of attrition that comes with playing the running back position. Having a talented veteran dual-threat running back waiting in the wings if something goes wrong wouldn't hurt, and Hunt could end up being a gamechanger for the Saints when he ends up on the field.

Kareem Hunt is a great fit for the Saints

Hunt's career started off with a bang with the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2017 (272 CAR, 1327 YDS, 8 TD, 53 REC, 455 YDS, 3 TD), which saw him earn Pro Bowl honors and lead the league in rushing yards in his rookie season. Hunt got sidetracked when he was caught on video kicking a woman in a hotel in 2018, but he formed an effective duo with Nick Chubb on the Cleveland Browns once he returned to the field.

Hunt requested a trade off the Browns during training camp last year, but his wish was not granted, and he ended up turning in the worst season of his career (123 CAR, 468 YDS, 3 TD, 35 REC, 210 YDS, 1 TD). Hunt watched Chubb fully turn himself into arguably the best running back in the game, and he lost a lot of snaps on the season as a result.

There's no doubt that Hunt's numbers don't look great due to the fact that he got phased out of the Browns offense, but he's still a capable dual-threat running back who can rip off a big gain on any given play. Hunt may not be a lead running back anymore, but he's a fantastic complementary guy to have in the backfield.

The fit with New Orleans, as already mentioned, makes a lot of sense. Kamara is going to miss time, and having some help behind him makes a lot of sense. Williams is coming off a career-year (262 CAR, 1066 YDS, 17 TD) in which he led the league in rushing touchdowns, but he wasn't particularly effective on a per-carry basis.

Williams can hold down the fort for three games on the ground, but he adds little value as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, which is a problem given how effective Kamara is as a runner and receiver. Miller is another guy who could be an option on the ground for the Saints, but he only caught 29 total passes throughout his three seasons at TCU in college.

Hunt can be the guy to work in tandem with Williams through three games, and potentially even take over as the team's second running back once Kamara returns to action. Given how effective Kamara and Hunt are as both runners and receivers, that would give the offense a lot more flexibility to run some unique plays with both guys at their disposal.

The Saints can almost certainly get by through three games without Kamara, but even then, their playmaker group could use another helping hand, and Hunt could be that guy. New Orleans battled injuries all year long last season, and relied almost exclusively on Kamara and Chris Olave for their production on offense. They can't afford to do something similar in 2023 if they want to win games.

Hunt isn't the player he was when he entered the league with the Chiefs, but he's a very solid complement running back who could be a perfect fit to fill-in for Kamara during his absence, and even work alongside him once he returns. It may not be a completely groundbreaking move, but there's no question that the addition of Hunt would improve the Saints offense. And with the NFC South looking wide open for the taking this season, that should be enough to convince New Orleans to hand Hunt a contract before the season starts.