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The opening moves of the New Orleans Saints offseason haven’t been the most exciting. Alex Armah, a tooled-up fullback with experience on special teams. And Nick Vannett, a blocking tight end joining his fourth squad in three years. Neither player figures to catch many passes regardless of who’s starting at quarterback.
Instead, they could give the Saints more juice on the ground. Armah is a better athlete than Michael Burton, last year’s fullback, with the mobility to get out in front of Alvin Kamara or Latavius Murray and pave the way on blocks than Burton might not have been able to reach. He was instrumental in keeping the Panthers run game on schedule after Christian McCaffrey was injured last season, clearing out lanes for backup Mike Davis to average 4 yards per carry or greater in half the games Davis started.
Vannett has to show us that he can execute as many different assignments as Josh Hill has in the past, but he’s competent enough to keep the offense clicking along. New Orleans could have gone after tight ends with greater chops in the passing game, but that role has been earmarked for Adam Trautman — a capable blocker himself, but whose receiving skills are waiting to be uncorked.
With just two other tight ends under contract (Garrett Griffin and Ethan Wolf, both from last year’s practice squad) the Saints needed someone with greater NFL experience to pair with their promising second-year pro. Vannett has played 70 games in this league and, at 28, is considerably younger than other options like Darren Fells (36) and Luke Stocker (32). He can be an asset on his own while continuing to mentor Trautman for a few years.
But what does this have to do with the state of the Saints offense?
Life after Drew Brees is going to look different, to put it mildly. The Saints have yet to find out exactly what they have in Jameis Winston. While you’d like to think Winston can execute a more high-flying attack than Brees could near the end of his career, it makes sense to reinforce the rushing offense. At worst that’s your backup plan should Winston play the same mistake-prone football he was known for in Tampa Bay. But if everything goes as planned, you can bludgeon defenses with a strong run game while putting Winston in advantageous positions to throw off of play action.
And, hey: let’s remember who would be running the football here. That’s Kamara, the NFL’s best running back (if Derrick Henry or McCaffrey have a problem with that, let’s see them score six rushing touchdowns on Christmas Day. Or pull off any of Kamara’s other memorable stunts). Kamara has made several highlight reels out of plays he’s created on his own, but he’s benefited from great blocking up front and out on the edges, too. Remember his pivotal, last-minute two-point conversion against Washington in 2017, when Josh Hill was clearing out the goal line like his life depended on it? That’s just one instance where Kamara got some help from a teammate.
It’s early, but these two pickups might suggest that’s where things are trending. These moves were just as much about filling vacancies at the right cost (and without putting valuable future compensatory draft picks in jeopardy) as an evolution for the Saints offense. Build the best running game possible to at least prop up the vertical passing game, if not become something you can win with on its own.
The Saints’ plan will become more clear in the days and weeks ahead as we approach the 2021 NFL draft. Maybe they add some electrifying receiver to the mix or start to load up on defensive help. At this stage, though, it’s fun to imagine what Kamara could do with more opportunities. Last year’s 12.5 carries per game were the second-highest of his career, but his 62.1 rushing yards per game were a personal-best. He’s shown he can handle a heavier workload without losing a step.
Maybe adding Armah and Vannett to the mix signals a recommitment to running the football, and helps Kamara take a step forwards while keeping some pressure off of Winston. Or maybe I’m wrong and these are just C-list moves that will be afterthoughts in the fall. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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