The New Orleans Saints finished their roster cut. Several cuts that came with no surprise, including veteran running back Cam Akers.
The Saints released Akers, due to struggling in the preseason and being in the midst of a crowded room at the position. Cutting Akers was an easy decision, as he finished with the fifth lowest Saints offensive grades at 49.0.
All signs are beginning to show that his best days may be long gone. He had his best career season in 2022 with 787 yards and 6 touchdowns. Since then it has been a struggle to regenerate this production.
Saints choose youth over declining veteran
Akers was a former 2nd round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. Despite being a former high pick, his performance just didn’t give enough to land a spot on the 53 man roster. He had hopes of revitalizing his career, after suffering from injuries and bouncing from multiple teams over the last few seasons.
Akers failed to show enough promise to the coaching staff during training camp and the preseason. He wrapped up the preseason averaging a disappointing 2 yards per carry, totaling 8 carries for 16 yards.
It was pretty obvious early, that Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller were the primary and featured running backs on the depth chart. As the preseason progressed, it became apparent that Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the third running back on the squad, leaving him in a competition for the final running back spot on the roster with rookie Devin Neal.
The Saints decided to go with the young approach, rolling with their 2025 6th round pick. Neal provides the Saints with versatility as a runner, pass catcher, and high upside. The organization has high optimism that he can translate his collegiate success over to the NFL, after finishing with 5,054 all purpose yards and 53 total touchdowns at the University of Kansas.