Will Louisiana's Own Clyde Edwards-Helaire Shine in the Saints Finale?

Local star Clyde Edwards-Helaire has a great opportunity in the Saints season finale.

New Orleans Saints running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (23) during warm ups before a game against the Raiders / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Louisiana product, LSU star, and new New Orleans Saints running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire is staring at a terrific opportunity in the season finale.

Edwards-Helaire, Jamaal Williams, and possibly Jordan Mims will be the primary backs when the Saints take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Starting RB Alvin Kamara is expected to miss his third consecutive game with a groin injury. In probably the least surprising Saints news of the year, RB Kendre Miller will miss yet another outing. This time, with a concussion sustained in last week's loss to the Raiders.

After two years of little as a Saint, we've seen what Williams offers to the offense. Mims is nothing more than a complementary piece at best. That leaves Edwards-Helaire, signed off waivers just two weeks ago, as the most interesting piece in a very limited offense.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

LSU Tigers running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (22) runs against the Clemson Tigers in the national championship game / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A graduate of Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Edwards-Helaire was a four-star recruit that was signed by hometown LSU. He'd play three seasons in Death Valley, rushing for 2,103 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns.

Edwards-Helaire was a critical part of LSU's 2019 National Championship team. His 1,414 rushing yards was second in the SEC, with his 16 rushing scores tops in the conference. It led to him being named 1st Team All-SEC.

The Kansas City Chiefs picked Edwards-Helaire with the 32nd selection in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He'd lead the Chiefs with 803 rushing yards as a rookie, adding 36 receptions for another 297 and scoring five touchdowns.

Injuries limited Edwards-Helaire over his next three seasons. He ran for 517 yards in 10 games during the 2021 campaign. In 2022, his injuries and ineffective play caused him to lose his starting job to rookie Isiah Pacheco as he picked up only 302 rushing yards in 10 contests.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Edwards-Helaire was active for 15 games in 2023 but had only 223 yards as Pacheco's backup. Off-field issues and more injuries caused him to start 2024 on the non-football injury list (NFI). He was activated on October 15 but was a healthy scratch in all eight games before Kansas City released him on December 16.

In his four years with the Chiefs, Edwards-Helaire had 1,865 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 4.2 per carry. He also caught 89 passes for an additional 765 yards and seven scores.

New Orleans quickly scooped up their local star on waivers. After one week on the practice squad, Edwards-Helaire was in the lineup for last week's loss against the Raiders. He'd see action on 26 offensive snaps, rushing five times for 20 yards and catching two passes for 10 yards.

Opportunity Knocks

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi speaks to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (23) before a game against the Raiders / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

At 5'7" and 207-Lbs., Edwards-Helaire is a squat runner with excellent power between the tackles and good burst through the hole. He's also a sure-handed receiver out of the backfield with the elusiveness to create extra yardage in open space.

Edwards-Helaire, 25, may actually be one of featured weapons for the 5-11 Saints when they take on 9-7 Tampa Bay.

Remember that New Orleans will be without Kamara, Derek Carr, Taysom Hill, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Erik McCoy, and Lucas Patrick. The Saints will be desperate for offensive production from someone, so may give Edwards-Helaire a lot of looks.

For Clyde Edwards-Helaire, this could also be a chance to revitalize his young career. A good outing could vault him into a priority for needy teams entering this offseason. It may even be with the hometown Saints, who badly need a reliable and productive complement to Alvin Kamara.