Defenses have zero respect for the New Orleans Saints run game, and they shouldn't. There was hope Kellen Moore could revitalize the run, but it's been lackluster this year, even with a healthy Travis Etienne Jr. It looked like he was starting to put something together against the Raiders before he got hurt, then everything returned to back to normal with Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller leading the way.
Only the Washington Commanders see light boxes more often than the Saints. Despite seeing 51.7% of their carries against boxes of six defenders or less, they average just 3.5 yards per carry. That's the fourth worst in the league.
Why would defense commit more defenders to the box if the Saints can't make them pay? For a team that clearly wants to drop back and sling it, the inability to run and lack of desire to do it allows defense to have more defenders dedicated to coverage.
Saints have done nothing to make defenses respect the run
The lack of any movement on the ground is the biggest flaw on this offense. There are few successful rushes, explosive plays are non-existent and an unwillingness early to run the football at times. The latter was a big issue early in the season and contributed to Etienne's struggles.
The Saints have just six rushes of more than 10 yards, and two of them are Tyler Shough scrambles. The effectiveness of the run game can't all be placed on Etienne's injury. It was prevalent before he went to injured reserve, and it's not all on the runners anyway.
Saints rushers are regularly hit in the backfield, and that's not making things much better. Kamara and Miller haven't done a good job breaking tackles, and the offensive line hasn't held their blocks long enough.
There's been times where you've wanted more from the runners on the field. Maybe getting CJ Donaldson into the mix some could help or at least provide some juice on the ground.
The rookie has shown some good things, primarily as a short yardage back, and it's worth giving him some more run in other situations. In the attempts he has had, Donaldson has shown good strength at the point of contact and some surprising agility for his size.
Maybe Donaldson's the answer. Maybe he isn't. The simple truth is that what the Saints have been doing isn't working, so trying something new can't hurt. He has earned the opportunity with his performances in pass blocking and short yardage situations.
Donaldson is going to be a part of the rotation, and using him as more than just a third and short rusher will also force the defense to respect the run when he's in as well.
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