New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has officially been indicted for an alleged assault in February of 2022. The Saints knew this was coming for a while, and the NFL will likely suspend Kamara for a decent portion of the 2023 season. On top of that, Alvin Kamara is entering his age-28 season and showed some signs of slowing down, so it’s in the Saints best interest to start looking for potential replacements. The running back depth chart is perilously thin in New Orleans, so the team will need to look at free agency and the NFL Draft to improve the position.
Note that this list will take into account both the talents of the player in question and the resources it would take to acquire them. The Saints have holes throughout the roster and are in salary cap hell, so it wouldn’t make sense to break the bank on Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs, even though they are better running backs than just about any other player on this list.
Top 5 Potential Alvin Kamara Replacement for the Saints
1. Any Day 2 Running Back
This isn’t a “Running Backs Don’t Matter” list – this is merely a statement on the absurd amount of running back talent in the 2023 NFL Draft. While Bijan Robinson is clearly the cream of the crop and will likely go off the board in the first round, there are several players that should be ready to start right out of the gate. Blake Corum, Zach Charbonnet, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sean Tucker, and Tank Bigsby are all starting-caliber runners, so the Saints could just wait till Day 2 of the NFL Draft to take the best guy left on the board.
2. Alexander Mattison
If the Saints decide to go with a free agent, the most cost-effective player on the market will likely be Alexander Mattison. After spending the past four seasons as the primary backup to Dalvin Cook, the former third-round pick has always played well when given the opportunity to receive a larger workload. Alexander Mattison is no Dalvin Cook, but he has the talent to be a starting-caliber three-down back and he shouldn’t break the bank.
it’s going to be interesting to see how the vikings handle free agency at RB but 1 guy I’m sure Klint Kubiak will be interested in is Alexander Mattison
would be a nice complement to Pierce #Texans..knows the scheme and he’s still young ✍🏽 pic.twitter.com/gIKlIfqu8Y
— NaronStradomus (@theTNShow) February 16, 2023
3. Tony Pollard
Tony Pollard has been the best running back in Dallas for at least the past two seasons, and he’ll probably be the best running back to hit the open market. This means that he will earn a massive payday in 2023 and, as mentioned earlier, it’s not in the Saints best interest to get in a bidding war over a running back. However, if they do want to spend up, Pollard is a better player than Mattison and could easily slide in and take over for a suspended Kamara.
4. Bijan Robinson
Based on talent alone, Bijan Robinson is easily the best running back on this list. The Texas product is arguably the best running back prospect to hit the NFL in the past 20 years, and he’s at least as good as Saquon Barkley was all those years ago. Running backs aren’t nearly as important as they used to be, but with elite talents like this, somebody is going to pull the trigger and take him in the first round of the NFL Draft.
That team should not be the Saints. New Orleans currently holds the 30th pick in the draft, so if they want to get Robinson, they’ll likely have to trade up. As it is, the Saints have too many holes and not enough resources to fill them, so giving up multiple assets to address the least important position in football would be a wildly unwise decision.
Bijan Robinson took this bag out like it was NOTHING 😳
The Texas RB is currently prepping for the NFL Combine. pic.twitter.com/B4hjQmbwma
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) February 14, 2023
5. David Montgomery
Wrapping up this list of Alvin Kamara replacements is a former 1,000-yard rusher. David Montgomery does not do anything at a high level, but he can do a bit of everything at a serviceable level. The longtime Chicago Bear is expected to leave the team in free agency, and teams probably won’t get into a bidding war for his services. If he’s cheap, then the Saints should definitely consider signing him as Kamara’s primary backup, knowing he can be an adequate starter if and when the suspension hits.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – USA Today Sports
