Signing Travis Etienne is arguably the biggest move of the New Orleans Saints offseason. This move could have such a ripple effect on the Saints offseason, and Kellen Moore is already seeing the benefits of the signing.
Moore raved about Etienne ahead of the third day of organized team activities. “The cool thing is he’s a really smart player. We’ve seen the explosiveness, but because of his smarts and his football IQ, I think he’s truly any down every down. He can play a really valuable role in that situation when you’re not rotating as much," Moore said in addition to highlighting Etienne's work ethic.
We all know about Etienne's explosive ability. There may not be a more anticipated quality among any Saints acquisition this offseason. He's had over 20 20-yard rushes over the last four years. It's Moore's opinion on Etienne as an every down back. That means in addition to being a runner, Moore sees Etienne as an asset in run blocking and/or as a receiver.
Travis Etienne could be the co-engine of Saints offense next to Tyler Shough
When you have a potentially star quarterback, it's hard to project any one other than him could be the engine of an offense. It gets even harder to say that when you heavily invest in receiving threats around him. Moore's history, however, shows a great valuing of the running back.
When you think about Kellen Moore’s offenses, running backs are the players who stand out. He’s had quarterbacks at every stop, but the running game has been the defining attributes of Moore’s most successful offenses.Â
Moore had Jalen Hurts with the Eagles but the story was Saquon Barkley rushing for nearly 2000 yards. Moore spent years with the Cowboys. Dak Prescott was the quarterback, but Ezekiel Elliott was the engine of the offense. No one talks about Moore’s short lived stint with the Chargers. He had Justin Herbert but no strong rushing attack.
It’s doubtful Etienne becomes the face of the offense in the same way Elliott and Barkley were. It isn’t a stretch to expect him to be heavily featured though. The run game has historically been an important part of Moore’s offense, and that won’t change despite the added receivers. At worst, he should still be considered a co-engine.
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