New Orleans Saints training camp running back depth chart

At least there’s one player the New Orleans Saints don’t have to worry about. Alvin Kamara has locked down the No. 1 running back spot, and unless rivals Derrick Henry or Christian McCaffrey suddenly decide to up and leave their teams, Kamara will be here to stay. For a long, long time. Kamara’s already highly touted to win the team MVP this season, but what of the other, less-but-still valuable Saints’ running backs?

Here are the Saints’ running back options for the 2021 season:

1. Alvin Kamara
2. Latavius Murray
3. Ty Montgomery
4. Dwayne Washington
5. Alex Armah (FB)
6. Tony Jones Jr.
7. Stevie Scott III

With Kamara spearheading the magnificent seven running back group, the second-team spot will likely go to Latavius Murray, who could enjoy a career year with the Saints this season.

Murray has racked up almost 1,300 rushing yards and a little over 400 receiving yards in his two years at New Orleans so far, scoring 11 touchdowns in total. God forbid (GOD forbid) Kamara gets injured somehow, Murray possesses the chops to slot in nicely and pose as a dangerous threat if the Saints opt for the running game.

The third spot may go to Ty Montgomery, who used to play as wide receiver for the Packers before switching to running back and never looking back. Last year, he played just six games and accumulated a hundred or so yards, and it was nothing to write home about. There’s a possibility Montgomery will be a cap casualty before the start of the season, and if so, the No. 3 running back position could go to….

New Orleans Saints: How deep is the running back position group?

Honestly, it’s up in the air. The rest of the Saints’ running back group consists of mostly average and unproven talent. Dwayne Washington is the most experienced of the bunch with three seasons under his belt, but he’s never scored a touchdown and, well, he’s only getting older.

Alex Armah has a great chance of breaking into the roster (as a fullback, if the Saints so choose to incorporate that position) after spending four years on the Panthers. Armah made an impression as a reliable asset in Carolina, playing in every game save for a handful in his rookie season.

The final two, Jones and Scott, are the greenest and most newly initiated. Last year, the 23-year-old Jones barely recorded double-digit yardage in one game for the Saints, but his past collegiate performance suggests he hasn’t kicked into his highest gear yet. In 2019, he rushed for 857 yards and six touchdowns to become the tenth player in Notre Dame history with five or more 100-yard rushing games in one season.

Scott’s no stranger to breaking records, either. Freshly out of Indiana, the formerly undrafted free agent set freshman records in 2018 with over 1,000 yards, 228 attempts, 10 touchdowns, and six 100-yard games.

But numbers can only get these running backs so far. Come training camp, age won’t matter. Records won’t matter. The final roster spots will be handed to only the most deserving, the ones who show the most production value and prove they belong on this Saints team.

For the love of the sport and for the dog-eat-dog competition factor, we’re excited to see which running back rises above.

Not to Kamara’s level though. Never to Kamara’s level.