New Orleans Saints: 4 toughest running backs on 2021 schedule

The New Orleans Saints have several tough running backs on their 2021 schedule. They, of course, have one of the best running backs in the league on their team and Alvin Kamara certainly makes an appearance on this list for the Saints’ opponents entering the 2021 season.

While the Saints’ schedule is pretty favorable, these running backs will make things a little tougher. Let’s dive into the toughest running backs New Orleans will have to face this year.

Toughest RBs on New Orleans Saints Schedule – No. 4: Saquon Barkley

This one might surprise some people due to Saquon Barkley missing nearly the entire 2020 season, but there’s a reason he went No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Barkley was a freak of nature at Penn State and showed that same nastiness for the Giants in years one and two. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in both seasons and had 11 rushing touchdowns his rookie year.

In 2019, the last time Barkley played a full season (well, 13 games), he rushed for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 438 yards and two more touchdowns on his resumé. When healthy, Barkley is one of the best running backs in the league, but that was the problem last year — He wasn’t healthy.

Barkley’s best game in 2019 (his last healthy-ish season) was against Washington in Week 16. In that game, he rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and did damage as a pass-catcher too, grabbing four passes for 90 yards and another touchdown. It was quite the outing for Barkley.

The Saints host the Giants in Week 4 and stopping Barkley is going to be their toughest challenge in this game by far.