New Orleans Saints' Taysom Hill (7) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of a preseason NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn) New Orleans Saints running back Jamaal Williams, right, runs against San Francisco 49ers safety Tracy Walker III, rear, and cornerback Renardo Green during the first half of a preseason NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
(AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez) If there was one positive takeaway from the Saints' preseason game on Sunday night, it was that their beleaguered rushing attack finally showed signs of life. For the first time since Klint Kubiak took the reigns as offensive coordinator, we saw the kind of ground-and-pound attack that head coach Dennis Allen envisioned when he hired Kubiak to run the Saints offense seven months ago.
The Saints’ third drive of the game was a thing of beauty, by far the most impressive series we’ve seen from Kubiak’s attack this preseason. The Saints took possession at their own 5-yard line and marched 95 yards in 16 plays for their only touchdown of the night. And it wasn’t just what the Saints did, but how they did it that will please Allen and Kubiak when they break down the game film on Monday.
Fifty-three of the 95 yards came on the ground. There were runs of 15, 11 and 10 yards in the series. The successful runs set up a few play-action passes later in the drive.
The final 9 yards of the march came on three consecutive runs up the gut, punctuated by a 1-yard touchdown blast by Taysom Hill, who scored standing up. This was what the Saints want their offense to look like this season. Ten runs, six passes, no penalties, 8 minutes and 17 seconds of ball possession.
It doesn’t get much better than that. It was the first real sign of life for the Saints’ rushing attack this preseason and will probably allow Allen and Kubiak to sleep better at night. But as promising as that drive was, the Saints can’t be fooled into thinking their running game is satisfactory now.
It’s been largely missing in action for most of the preseason. There's work to be done here and reason for concern, especially with a backfield that is short on talent and healthy bodies. Everyone is fretting about the offensive line, but the Saints’ backfield might be even more worrisome, in my opinion.
In fact, it might be the weakest position group on the roster. Alvin Kamara is the bell cow, but his production has decreased precipitously each of the past three seasons. He was A.
W.O.L.
for much of the offseason while the new offense was being installed, and he’s missed most of training camp because of a balky back. There’s hope that the new scheme will resurrect the old Kamara, and the Saints might need that to be the case, because there’ s not much behind him on the depth chart. Kendre Miller was supposed to be the No.
2 back, but he’s been nothing but a disappointment since the Saints selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft. Head coach Dennis Allen called him out after he injured his hamstring on the first day of training camp, and he’s been in the doghouse ever since. Patience has worn thin with him inside the building, and at this point, his roster spot is not guaranteed.
That leaves veteran Jamaal Williams as the primary backup. He’s looked better this fall, but he hardly inspired last season when he averaged a paltry 2.9 yards a carry.
Williams had some nifty runs against the Niners on Sunday night, but most them came against backup defenders. After him, there’s Jordan Mims, an undrafted free agent who has yet to carry the ball in a regular-season NFL game; veteran James Robinson, who is on his sixth team in three years; and undrafted rookie free agent Jacob Kibodi from UL. It won’t remind Saints fans of the days when they had Mark Ingram, Chris Ivory, Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas in the same running back room.
Maybe the Saints will just give the ball to Hill and let him carry the load this season. He’s shown to be their most explosive ball carrier in recent years and has looked terrific again this fall. But he and Kamara need help.
And right now, there’s not much of it on the roster. You have to think the Saints know this and are actively looking to upgrade the backfield in the days and weeks ahead. Their season just might depend on it.
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