The New Orleans Saints' season hit a new low with a 31-24 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. The offense continues to struggle, despite what appears to be a perfect marriage between offensive coordinator and quarterback on paper.
Derek Carr is a vintage air-it-out QB. Pete Carmichael loves to scheme his offense around the pass. New Orleans also has a ton of explosive weapons, from Chris Olave and Michael Thomas in the WR room to five-time Pro Bowl RB Alvin Kamara. And yet, the Saints' offense ranks on the bottom end of average in every major category.
Kamara feels like a real casualty in the current Saints' system. He's still capable of superstar production — 29 touches for 153 yards from scrimmage in Thursday's loss — but the infrastructure around him is crumbling. The Saints, at 3-4, are behind the Buccaneers (3-2) and the Falcons (3-3) in the NFC South.
It could be time for the Saints to consider a teardown, or at the very least a serious redecorating. Kamara deserves to play for a contender. Here are a few teams who should be hounding the Saints' phone lines ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a clear path to winning the NFC South (again) with the Saints, Falcons, and especially Panthers all looking completely incompetent on offense. It's hard to profess genuine trust in Baker Mayfield, but Tampa has a talented batch of veterans left over from the Tom Brady era.
One glaring hole on the roster, however, is running back. The Bucs rank dead last in the NFL in rushing yards with second-year RB Rachaad White averaging a middling 3.3 yards per carry. The Bucs essentially don't score on the ground. That is partially due to the offensive line, partially due to the offensive system, and partially due to a stark lack of established talent at the key position.
Kamara would immediately elevate the Bucs' ground attack. Even if he's not the stud runner of old, Kamara can grind out early-down yards and break through gaps for the occasional explosive play. He's also a talented receiver. That flexibility could make him a favorite safety blanket for Mayfield.
Given the absurdly low price of RBs on the current market, Tampa can probably get a Pro Bowl upgrade at a position of need without sacrificing a day-one draft pick. It's a no-brainer. The Saints would have to essentially admit defeat in the division to make this trade, but Tampa should at least make the call.
2. Houston Texans
The Bucs rank dead last in rushing yards. The Houston Texans are right above them in the No. 31 spot, suffering from a similar combination of offensive line deficiency and poor RB talent. Second-year lead back Dameon Pierce is the workhorse, but he only averages 2.9 yards per carry. Veteran Devin Singletary has been notably better per carry (3.9 yards), but he's hardly No. 1 RB material.
At 3-3, the Texans are within striking distance of a wild card spot. New head coach DeMeco Ryans has the defense firing on all cylinders and rookie QB C.J. Stroud is that dude. It's extremely rare for such a young team to angle for the postseason, but Houston is in position to credibly do just that.
Kamara would immediately assume lead-back duties while offering his trademark versatility on offense. He caught 12 passes in the Saints' Thursday night loss; he's essentially another receiver for Stroud, in addition to the run game benefits. Young WRs Nico Collins and Tank Dell have established fast chemistry with Stroud. Kamara can add additional stress for defenses with his route-running.
This is, of course, a short-term investment for the Texans. Kamara is 28 years old, which feels ancient by modern RB standards. He's not a player for Stroud to grow into the future with, but he's an accomplished vet who can impart wisdom in a young locker room while considerably boosting the offense for at least this season.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Why not?
The Kansas City Chiefs should be in talent acquisition mode at all times. It's Super Bowl or bust for the next decade. Kamara should be extremely cheap relative to his talent level and his pass-catching acumen could pay dividends for a Chiefs team with a severe shortage of quality receivers.
Patrick Mahomes is not wired for dinky screen passes and short-yardage plays, but Travis Kelce is constantly double-teamed and the WR room has speed and big-play potential, if not much else. Especially with Mecole Hardman back in the mix. Toss Kamara out there, and defenses will start to get headaches attempting to stifle all of Kansas City's dynamism.
Second-year RB Isiah Pacheco is a stone-cold killer. He averages a healthy 4.4 yards per carry and he has three touchdowns on the season. Kamara is good enough to be the workhorse for teams like Houston or Tampa Bay, but we also live in a time where RBs — especially veteran RBs — tend to be more favorably positioned in timeshares.
Kamara and Pacheco can split touches. Pacheco as the early-down and goal-line RB, and Kamara as the change-of-pace weapon with more pass-catching experience. This relieves pressure on Pacheco with the long view in mind while also preserving what is left of Kamara's brilliant career. Both RBs would benefit, even if it means fewer individual touches.
This also represents Kamara's best chance to win a Super Bowl. It's hard to imagine him complaining about this outcome.
