It quickly became apparent that the New Orleans Saints running back room was stacked after new names kept standing out. Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara are the clear leaders in the room, and Kendre Miller, Devin Neal and Audric Estime all looked like viable options at RB3. CJ Donaldson wasn’t among that bunch originally, but he’s the reason the Saints can agree to an injury settlement with Estime so comfortably now.
Estime could have made a legitimate push for the third running back spot, and it felt like he was surging to the lead, had he not suffered an injury on a poor throw in the first preseason game. The injuries floodgates never closed after that unfortunately.
The Saints put Estime on injured reserve with a thigh injury, putting him out for a minimum of four weeks. With how frequently injuries had been piling up at this position, there was still a chance Estime could work his way on to the active roster. Donaldson was making that very difficult.
CJ Donaldson is quickly proving himself worthy of a role in the Saints offense
If it weren't for Estime's injury, Donaldson likely would have never even got his chance. Kamara had to miss the first game of the season, and the Saints called up Donaldson from the practice squad. It likely would have been Estime getting that call up in Week 1 if he were healthy.
Donaldson hasn't looked back since getting that call. After just one game, the Saints signed him to the active roster. The Saints could have called him up on game day three times before having to sign him to the active roster, so the timing says a lot about the trust coaches have in him.
This past week, Donaldson remained active, and Miller was a healthy scratch. Miller being inactive without an injury designation was a shocker, but Donaldson proved why that was a smart call once again. Donaldson is changing the expectations at running back for two reasons: blocking and short yardage.
The undrafted free agent provides two clear roles for the Saints. He has been exceptional in pass protection in both games this year, and that alone is a reason to keep him on the roster. Donaldson met Roquan Smith in the hole for pass protection, and the Saints need a running back like that.
The Saints have also used a fullback dive of sorts with Donaldson a couple of times. It's been effictive, making him the Saints pass protection and short yardage back. That's how you steal a spot in a week.
Moving on from Estime was no easy decision. He showed a lot of promise. We've long documented the talent of Miller, so it couldn't have been easy sitting him either.
The catalyst for both decisions is Donaldson. He was no higher than the sixth running back on the front of many fans' mind, and now he's carved out a real role on the defense.
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