Saints: Kamara injury makes Mark Ingram trade look even smarter

With Alvin Kamara officially ruled out for Week 10, the New Orleans Saints have a running back problem. But it’s not as bad as it could have been.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but trading for Mark Ingram was one of the best moves the Saints made all season.

Even if Tony Jones Jr. had not gotten injured, the reunion of Ingram and Kamara was a match made in running back heaven.

Ingram has filled in for RB2 duties in the last two games, rushing for 70 yards on 15 carries.

Ingram’s biggest impact may have been off the field, though, as his return to NOLA buoyed the spirits of Saints fans everywhere.

His long partnership with Kamara in the backfield formed one of the best RB duos in the league for many years, and since Ingram is already familiar with New Orleans’ offensive scheme, he has seamlessly fit in as a secondary ball-carrier.

After two games, Mark Ingram is already showing his value to New Orleans Saints in 2021

Come Week 10 against the Titans, he’ll become the Saints’ go-to back in place of Kamara and likely receive a much larger workload.

If anyone can shoulder RB1 duties for the Saints temporarily, it’s Mark Ingram.

Not only is he beloved by fans, but the 31-year-old has still maintained fairly consistent levels of production, even at this late stage in his career.

As a Saints player, Ingram has racked up 6,077 rushing yards, trailing only Deuce McAllister for the franchise’s all-time rushing yards.

With 19 or more rushing yards against Tennessee, Ingram will become the team’s all-time rushing yards leader. Given that Kamara is out, Ingram is almost guaranteed to hit that total.

Since the offseason, Sean Payton has made (and not made) a number of questionable trades, but none of them have arguably impacted the team as much as the Ingram trade has.

When Ingram takes charge of the run game in Week 10, the entire city of NOLA will be behind him, supporting him all the way. No amount of money can buy that kind of loyalty.