The New Orleans Saints find themselves in a potentially valuable position.
In a year when running back seems to be heavily in demand before the NFL’s trade deadline, the Saints could have multiple RBs available for the right price.
The deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10 — so there’s a week left for everything to shake out.
The Indianapolis Colts seem to be holding the running back market in its place, with Jonathan Taylor the best potential target on the board but not a guy guaranteed to be moved.
The Tennessee Titans’ Tony Pollard, and the New York Jets‘ Breece Hall, are two other big name backs that could be on the move.
But when the dust settles, and teams still need RB help, it would make sense for them to call New Orleans.
Saints’ Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller Rumors
The Saints’ backfield will be crowded when Travis Etienne returns from the hamstring injury that currently has him on injured reserve.
New Orleans also has a 2-5 record coming out of its Week 8 bye, which increases the chances that the Saints will be sellers.
Multiple analysts have suggested that either Kamara or Miller could move. The Saints probably wouldn’t trade both, particularly with Etienne’s health not perfectly determined yet, but assuming they feel confident about their RB1’s return, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one running back dealt out of New Orleans.
NFL’s Overall RB Need
ESPN’s Ben Solak focused heavily on running back trade possibilities in a new article on Tuesday. He does mention Kamara and Miller, but more than that, he focuses on the NFL-wide need for running backs among contenders.
“There seems to be way more backs possibly available than during previous deadlines,” Solak writes. “The trade deadline frequently features running back movement. In four of the past nine seasons, at least two running backs were traded in October and November. In 2022, a whopping six running backs exchanged teams. This position has contracts that are fairly fungible and roles that can be easily catered to skill sets; it’s easy to move them midseason. What I think is rare(r) this season is the need. Four clear contenders (Broncos, Bengals, Packers and Vikings) have serious run-game concerns, and there are running back depth charts that can be substantially improved. Taylor can go to only one of those teams, and the other three will be left scrambling for Pollard. Once that dust settles, the desperation could jack up the cost and muster a surprise, big-ticket trade.”
There’s a lot of supply this year at the RB position, but there’s also a lot of demand.
If the Saints want to cash in on one of their backs, this next week could be the time to do it.
Saints’ Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller Rumors Fit Overall NFL Trade Need