Where Do The Saints Running Backs Rank In NFC South?
On Wednesday's episode of Movin' The Chains with Bill Lekas and Robert "Tubro" Turbin, the hosts ranked the NFC South running back units. Surprisingly, the debate had the pundits mirroring the same rankings for the division foes.
"I love the fact that they went out and got Jamaal Williams to go and pair him with Alvin Kamara," Turbin said. "I think that one-two punch is going to be really nice...and also like a third-round pick to Kendre Miller that they drafted this year. I think he's going to have an impact in that run game as well."
"And even when Kamara's out with the suspension, I think because of what they had added, especially with Williams, they're capable of still being successful with a running game with what they have on hand," Lekas added.
Jun 13, 2023; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) and New Orleans Saints running back Jamaal Williams (30) during minicamp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
RANKING THE NFC SOUTH RUNNING BACK UNITS
- New Orleans Saints
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Turbin, the Super Bowl XLVIII champion running back with the Seattle Seahawks, understands the position very well. He thinks New Orleans and Atlanta are close but gave the edge to the Saints because of the Kamara and Williams tandem. The Falcons added Bijan Robinson in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to complement Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier — who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2022. "You've got a three-headed monster in the backfield," Turbin remarked about Atlanta.
He also felt the Carolina Panthers, with Miles Sanders, Chuba Hubbard, and Spencer Brown, are the third-best backfield in the NFC South. "They wasted no time in signing him [Sanders]. So that's an indication of who he is and what sort of season he had last year. But despite that, I also like Chubba Hubbard who's his backup running back. I think that's a really nice, one-two punch."
Last, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers bring up the rear without fielding a solid running back corps to support quarterback Baker Mayfield. Lekas told Turbin, "It's part of the multitude of questions that go along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense, including who's going be the quarterback and save their own competition and what will you get from the running game with guys like Rachaad White, Chase Edmonds, and Ke'shawn Vaughn."
On Sunday, the Saints rushed for 95 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jamaal Williams led the squad with nine carries for 28 yards, followed by Ellis Merriweather's nine carries for 26 yards. Kamara participated in the first offensive series picking up 14 yards on three rushing attempts. New Orleans will have joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers in Costa Mesa before their second preseason game at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 20.
