The Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs could all be in the market for a new starting running back in 2026.
The Cowboys are expected to re-sign Javonte Williams, but there is no guarantee he'll actually return because, as we know, anything can happen in free agency, especially with Williams being one of the best backs available.
Denver enjoyed a strong one-two punch at running back in 2025 in J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, but the former is a pending free agent and was once again plagued by injury, so it's possible the Broncos go in a different direction.
The Chiefs have both of their top running backs from 2025 hitting free agency in Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, and after both struggled last season, we would expect Kansas City to overhaul its backfield.
One player those teams should be keeping an eye on is New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who Matt Okada of NFL.com labeled a cut candidate.
Here's Okada's thoughts on why the Saints could part ways with Kamara in the final year of his $24 million contract:
The 30-year-old running back had easily the least productive season of his career in 2025, totaling career lows in rushing yards (471), receiving yards (186), scrimmage touchdowns (one) and yards per touch (4.0). He also posted career lows in explosive run rate (7.6%) and missed tackle rate (20.6%), according to Next Gen Stats. The Saints likely haven’t found their future at the position yet -- Audric Estimé , Kendre Miller nor Devin Neal really fit the bill -- but with a cap hit of $18.6 million, their vision probably shouldn’t involve Kamara. Cutting him before June 1 only frees up $360,000 (with $18.2 million in dead money), so he’s an excellent candidate for a post-June 1 designation (when the cap savings rockets up to $8.5 million). But either way, 2026 should be the first season in nearly a decade without the Pro Bowl back in the Bayou.
It's true that Kamara posted his worst season as a pro in 2025, but he was also part of one of the worst offenses in the NFL. It wasn't until after Kamara got hurt that the Saints found their rhythm offensively with Tyler Shough.
And therein lies another problem: Kamara just has not been able to stay healthy in recent years, and that has really been a problem for much of his career. That issue doesn't figure to get any better with Kamara set to turn 31 this summer.
Then there's the financial aspect of keeping Kamara. The veteran running back will account for a cap hit of $18.5 million, which is more than what he's worth at this stage in his career.
A pre-June 1 cut wouldn't do much for the Saints in terms of gaining cap space, as it would only open up $359,000 while netting New Orleans a dead-cap hit of $18 million.
But a post-June 1 cut would save $8.5 million while incurring a dead-cap charge of $10 million, so that's the route New Orleans would likely take if it does cut Kamara.
The problem for teams that might be interested in Kamara is he could retire if cut.
Kamara made it quite clear last year before the trade deadline that he does not have a desire to play for any other team and would retire if traded, so that's certainly something we can't rule out.
Perhaps Kamara will change his tune if cut this offseason, but that remains to be seen. If he does, we could see the Broncos, Chiefs and Cowboys all making a play, and the Broncos in particular due to Kamara's connection with Sean Payton.
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