Saints Free Agency: Devontae Booker could add insurance at RB
Saints free agency won’t officially get underway for a few more weeks but there’s one player the team needs to be targeting and that’s Devontae Booker. The Giants cut Booker on Wednesday afternoon to save money and now that Booker is available, the New Orleans Saints need to target him.
Booker, a former fourth-round pick out of Utah in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Broncos, had his best season when he was a rookie posting 612 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while adding 265 yards and a touchdown through the air. Since then, Booker hasn’t been as explosive but he still has a lot to offer as a depth piece.
Booker proved just that in 2021 with the Giants, rushing for 593 yards — the second-most in his career — and two touchdowns. As Dan Duggan notes in the tweet below, Booker was a massive help to the Giants’ offense when former No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley went down with an injury.
The Giants are cutting RB Devontae Booker, per source. The move creates $2.1M in cap savings while leaving $1M in dead money. Booker had 593 rushing yards last season, which tied with Saquon Barkley for the team lead.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) March 2, 2022
Saints Free Agency: Devontae Booker makes sense
As for the Saints, Alvin Kamara is dealing with legal issues off the field after getting arrested in Las Vegas following the Pro Bowl. New Orleans could opt to keep Mark Ingram as their backup but they could save $2.2 million by releasing him.
The Saints traded for Ingram midway through last season and he started off doing well but then fizzled down the stretch. It could make sense to cut him and target Booker or someone like Booker to make sure there’s a decent backup option should Kamara miss time to start the season.
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Booker never blossomed into a RB1 but he has a lot of value as a backup running back and that’s what the New Orleans Saints are looking for. Now that he’s a free agent, it would be an excellent move by NOLA to swoop in and make Booker a member of the Saints for the 2022 season.