New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara must break from slump in 2020

The New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara has a third-year slump in 2019, and it must be something he breaks from in 2020 if he wants that payday.

Alvin Kamara was part of the New Orleans Saints absolutely dominant 2017 draft class. A group that included Marcus Williams, Marshton Lattimore, Kamara and Ryan Ramczyk has been at the crux of the team’s success.

In the past two seasons, Kamara has been arguably the most important player from this star-studded draft class. However, in 2019, he took a huge step backward, showing the Saints that they can thrive without his explosiveness.

It was Michael Thomas who, on a gamely basis, went berzerk. Thomas set a single-season record for receptions and also led the league in receiving yards as well. He was the primary offensive threat for New Orleans.

Kamara needs to have that type of production in 2020.

While he certainly had games of over 100 combined yards, Kamara didn’t have a single game with over either 100 rushing yards or 100 receiving yards. In 2018, he had three such games. In 2019, even Latavius Murray posted two 100-yard rushing games and started just a handful of games.

While that’s not the same style as Kamara, it is concerning that Kamara wasn’t as productive.

He neared 1,600 combined yards in 2017 and 2018 yet that number dropped to 1,330 in 2019, and although he struggled with injuries, when he was healthy, Kamara didn’t see the same usage or productivity.

Kamara signed a four-year contract at just under $4 million in 2017. That was his rookie deal, and after being selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons, he’s a surefire target for many teams with cap space to spare next offseason.

However, to get that big payday, from either the Saints or elsewhere, he’ll need to return to his dominant self in 2020. That will be easier said than done for the superstar 24-year-old.