The Saints have found a way to make Falcons fans uneasy again, and this time it starts in the backfield.
New Orleans is getting plenty of buzz as a possible worst-to-first team in 2026, with a lot of the attention centered on Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough. That hype has only grown after the Saints added Travis Etienne Jr. on a four-year, $52 million deal, giving them another dangerous piece to pair with Alvin Kamara.
Former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon sees the fit and immediately went to a comparison Falcons fans know too well.
“You go, and you add Travis Etienne, you bring him in, and now you’re mixing him in the backfield with an Alvin Kamara,” Carthon said. “That is going to be a really good combination for Saints fans. It’s going to take you back a little bit to the Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram days, where you had that two-headed monster in the backfield.”
That kind of pairing is exactly the sort of thing Atlanta would rather forget. Carthon’s point was clear: Etienne and Kamara could bring New Orleans back to the late-2010s formula that helped the Saints own the NFC South, with Kamara and Mark Ingram forming one of the league’s most difficult backfield tandems to handle.
For Falcons fans, that era still stings. Kamara and Ingram were a headache because they gave New Orleans both power and versatility - a bruising runner alongside a back who could hurt defenses as a receiver. The Saints are hoping Etienne and Kamara can recreate that kind of balance, and on paper, it’s easy to see why the idea has people talking.
Kamara remains a threat in the passing game, while Etienne brings the kind of explosiveness that can change a drive in one touch. Together, they should make life easier for Shough and Moore, and they could also force defenses to stay honest when New Orleans throws the ball.
That matters because the Saints still have more than just the run game to worry about. Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson, and first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson are all part of the picture, and the backs give Shough another outlet if the pocket gets messy.
The bottom line for Atlanta is simple: one star running back is hard enough to deal with, but two is a different problem entirely. Even if Etienne and Kamara aren’t Bijan Robinson-level talents, the Saints have put together a backfield that can make the Falcons’ path in the division a lot more stressful in 2026.
In Other News...
Falcons Rookie Is Already Creating Serious Buzz Before Training Camp
Harold Perkins Jr. has already started drawing attention in Atlanta, even before his first NFL training camp begins. The Falcons took the LSU linebacker in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and his offseason work has included training with former Georgia Bulldogs pass-rush specialist Marcus Howard, a sign the team is trying to sharpen the traits that made Perkins such an intriguing addition in the first place.
For a Falcons defense looking for upside under coach Jeff Ulbrich, Perkins is the kind of late-round swing that can matter quickly if the development goes right. Atlanta is clearly optimistic about what he can become, and the buzz around him is only growing as he heads toward camp with a chance to turn that promise into something more. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons QB Battle Just Took A Tense Turn Before Camp
The Falcons quarterback room is already drawing opinions before training camp even gets going, and Patrick Paul is not hedging his bet. The former Dolphins tackle, who saw Tua Tagovailoa up close in Miami, said he believes Tagovailoa is going to win Atlantas starting job over Michael Penix once the competition opens up.
That prediction lands in a situation that already has plenty of intrigue for Atlanta, where Kevin Stefanski has set up an open battle for the No. 1 role. Tagovailoa arrives after a rough season in Miami and a fresh start on a one-year deal, while Penix is trying to hold his ground in a race that could shape the Falcons offense long before the regular season begins. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Rankings Just Exposed The Falcons Biggest Roster Problem
ESPNs annual position rankings offered a familiar snapshot of why the Falcons have spent so much time chasing consistency: the roster is loaded with talent in places that matter, but not always in the spots that tilt the league. Atlanta got strong recognition for players like Bijan Robinson at running back, Chris Lindstrom on the interior line and Kyle Pitts back in the top 10 at tight end, while Jake Matthews and A.J. Terrell settled for honorable mention and Drake London still has a chance to land in the wide receiver rankings when that list is finalized.
The bigger takeaway, though, is what the rankings did not show. Atlanta has recently been trying to dig out from years of thin premium-position talent, the kind of shortage that has helped drag the team into losing records, and the front office change from Terry Fontenot to Ian Cunningham suggests a clearer push toward fixing that imbalance. Cunningham has already started using draft capital on the positions that usually decide whether a roster can truly compete, but the Falcons are still living with the consequences of how long those holes went unaddressed. [Read more 🡒]