It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints could use more help at running back. Between the suspension looming for Alvin Kamara and the lackluster showing from last year’s backups, the position has become a popular topic for offseason chatter — especially with trade speculation on everyone’s minds ahead of training camp.
We’ve already heard the argument for a potential Saints trade for the Las Vegas Raiders’ Kenyan Drake. Here’s an alternative from Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, who suggested New Orleans make a move for Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt:
“It would only make sense for the Browns to trade Hunt if they keep D’Ernest Johnson. The Saints are bracing for a suspension for running back Alvin Kamara after he was charged with felony battery in February in Las Vegas for the Pro Bowl. If it’s a lengthy suspension, the Saints need a better replacement than Mark Ingram, Tony Jones and Abram Smith. Kamara and Hunt could coexist in New Orleans’ backfield, as well.”
Hunt, 26, has made a name for himself as a dual-threat playmaker while averaging 60.3 rushing yards per game and 27.1 receiving yards per game in his 59-game NFL career. He’s also scored 44 touchdowns (28 on the ground, 16 through the air). And he would be working in a rotation in New Orleans, which is the same role he’s held in Cleveland the last few years (averaging 9.9 carries per game as a Brown), so it’s easy to see how he would fit into the offense behind Kamara, or as Kamara’s fill-in replacement to start the season.
The financials check out, too. Hunt is playing out the final year of his contract and would bring a minimal salary cap charge tied up to his $1.35 million base salary and $3.4 million in per-game roster bonuses. That’s an affordable contract for any team to take on. Cleveland has some incentive to trade him after loading up at the position, with Nick Chubb emerging as one of the game’s best running backs. Between re-signing Johnson earlier this offseason and spending a draft pick on Demetric Felton last year, they have depth too, if the Saints want to make it worth their while.
But he brings some baggage. Hunt first joined the Browns back in 2019 after serving an eight-game suspension following a 2018 controversy in which he was seen beating a woman on video, which led to his release from the Kansas City Chiefs. His Cleveland tenure has gone on without incident, though it’s worth noting he missed half the 2021 season with a calf injury. If there are other options out there with cleaner backgrounds and injury histories, I’d rather go in a different direction. But the Saints have shown us they’ll overlook such things through their intense recruitment of Deshaun Watson.
It doesn’t seem like the Saints feel the same pressure to pursue a new running back that we’re seeing in the media, though. The team met with running back Sony Michel early in free agency (who later signed with the Miami Dolphins at a minimum salary) and they brought in former All-Pro David Johnson for an extended tryout during minicamp, but no deal materialized. There’s interest in adding another player to the depth chart, sure, but only on their terms and at their price point. Until something changes — like Kamara actually receiving the suspension we’re expecting, and maybe the Saints getting a look at their in-house options during preseason games — it doesn’t look like any big moves are on the horizon. Stay frosty.
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