Mark Ingram says Saints have Super Bowl aspirations

New year, new Saints. The New Orleans Saints have an uber-talented squad going into 2022 and are hoping to win football’s most prestigious award.

Running back Mark Ingram showed immense optimism for his team last week when he told reporters that the Saints have “championship aspirations.” With New Orleans’ star-studded offense and defense, why shouldn’t they have such lofty dreams?

This offseason, the Saints upgraded their offense with Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry, not to mention Taysom Hill serves as an underrated pass-catcher at the tight end position.

Compared to Saints’ offenses of previous years, Jameis Winston admittedly represents a huge downgrade from Drew Brees, yet Winston does boast a stronger arm than that of the aging Brees and could reinvigorate the team’s downfield passing attack.

Mark Ingram has extremely high hopes for New Orleans Saints in 2022

Mark Ingram himself could play a surprisingly important role if Alvin Kamara ends up getting suspended. Ingram spent short stints at Baltimore and Houston before finally coming home to NOLA, and last season he recorded a respectable 68 carries for 260 yards and one touchdown.

At 32 years old, Ingram’s production will likely only decrease, and he won’t achieve anywhere close to his 1,000-yard totals from over five years ago.

Still, Ingram serves as the team’s most reliable and experienced back behind Kamara, and if the Saints do indeed make a deep run into the postseason, Ingram will provide important depth in the rushing attack.

Of course, reaching the Super Bowl is much easier said than done. The Saints may still need time for their offense to gel together, and Winston carries both tremendous boom and bust potential in 2022.

The Saints have established themselves as a winning franchise thanks to the records of Sean Payton and Drew Brees, but can Dennis Allen and Winston boost the team back into relevance this season?