New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) holds the ball as he practices with teammates during minicamp practice at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, La., Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
[Alvin Kamara](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/8a9ee228-c9ae-457d-939a-d936308e6ee1/) is back to reprise his lead role in the New Orleans Saints backfield, and what happens after him is anyone’s guess.
Kendre Miller has a new number, having switched to No. 5, but it remains to be seen if he will be a different player under new head coach Kellen Moore. Sixth-round rookie Devin Neal had plenty of admirers in the pre-draft process, but he’s also a sixth-round rookie. Cam Akers and Clyde Edwards-Helaire were once name-brand players and are now fighting for a roster spot. It’s also worth noting the Saints were reportedly checking in with free agent Nick Chubb before he signed with the Houston Texans.
This can go any number of different directions, including one where New Orleans decides to keep one eye on the veteran free agent/trade market.
### Depth chart (name, height, weight, NFL experience)
Alvin Kamara, 5-foot-10, 215, 9
Kendre Miller, 6-0, 220, 3
Devin Neal, 5-11, 213, R
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, 5-7, 207, 6
Cam Akers, 5-10, 217, 5
Marcus Yarns, 5-11, 190, R
### Best case
One doesn’t have to squint too hard to see Moore’s play-calling getting the most out of a running game.
You can even ignore last year’s Super Bowl run with the Philadelphia Eagles, who fed a mutant running back the ball behind an offensive line that had four of its five starters make either the Pro Bowl or All-Pro teams.
While Moore is known for the plays he’s dialed up in the passing game, his offenses have finished with a top-10 rushing attack in four of his six years as a play-caller, including two top-5 seasons.
With a young quarterback under center, the 2025 Saints offense might lean heavy on the run game this season. That could be good news for Alvin Kamara, who is coming off a personal best 950 rushing yards last season, and it also could be good news for whoever wins the competition behind him.
And, in the ideal scenario, that means either Kendre Miller or Devin Neal is the secondary option, with both of them making the roster and contributing in some way.
Those who have followed Miller’s career since the Saints picked him in the third round of the 2023 draft are probably sick of hearing about his potential, and this feels like it could be his last shot to show what he can do in New Orleans. He has been injured, yes, but that has not been the only limiting factor. If the Saints can somehow get him pointed in the right direction, he does have explosive ability and the size to carry a workload (Miller’s injuries have largely been soft tissue ones).
Neal is not the size-speed athlete that Miller is, but he was wildly productive at Kansas, and the NFL has proven time and again that teams can find capable running backs on Day 3 of the draft. Just in the last three years, three Day 3 picks (Kyren Williams, Bucky Irving and Tyler Allgeier) have topped 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.
Kamara will turn 30 in July, and though he is coming off an excellent individual 2024 season, the Saints should hope they can find someone to ease his Sunday burden this year.
### Worst case
What if Kamara’s bounce-back season was because he was especially well-suited for the wide zone scheme that Klint Kubiak brought in last season? And what if his heavy workload from the last few years finally catches up to him? What if neither Miller nor Neal is ready or able to step into a somewhat featured role? What if defenses load up on the run and the inexperienced quarterback is not able to consistently make them pay for that?
All these are plausible outcomes for the Saints in 2025. The running back group could exceed expectations, and it could also crater.
New Orleans can’t afford to put too much burden on its young quarterback, not only for this season’s results but also to get a gauge of what they have in the position in the future. The Saints are likely going to need a competent running game to truly evaluate what they have at quarterback, and there is a very real scenario in which they do not get that this season.
### A prediction in 10 words or less
A more efficient Alvin Kamara shows he’s still got it.