Defenses have made their feelings about the Saints’ ground game pretty clear: they aren’t scared of it, and there’s a reason for that.
New Orleans entered the year with hopes that Kellen Moore could jump-start the run, but the production has stayed flat. Even with a healthy Travis Etienne Jr., the ground attack never found much rhythm. It briefly looked like something was brewing against the Raiders before Etienne got hurt, but after that, the Saints slipped right back into the same old problem with Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller carrying the load.
The numbers tell the story. Only the Washington Commanders see light boxes more often than the Saints. New Orleans is facing six-man boxes or fewer on 51.7% of its carries, yet the offense is still managing just 3.5 yards per rush, which ranks fourth worst in the league.
That’s the bargain defenses are happy to make. If a team isn’t going to punish lighter fronts, why would opponents load up the box? And for an offense that clearly wants to throw the ball, the weak run game gives defenses even more freedom to drop extra bodies into coverage.
The problem isn’t just one thing. The Saints haven’t generated enough movement on the ground, explosive runs are basically nonexistent, and at times they’ve simply chosen not to run the ball enough early. That last part was a real issue early in the season and was part of the reason Etienne struggled.
There have been only six Saints runs of more than 10 yards, and two of those came on Tyler Shough scrambles. So even before Etienne landed on injured reserve, the run game was already showing the same issues. This isn’t just an injury story, and it isn’t only on the backs, either.
Too many carries are ending in the backfield, and that’s putting the offense in a hole. Kamara and Miller haven’t consistently broken tackles, and the offensive line hasn’t done enough to keep blocks alive.
At this point, it feels like New Orleans needs to try something different. CJ Donaldson has flashed enough, especially in short-yardage work, to deserve a longer look. In the chances he’s had, he’s shown real power at contact and more quickness than you’d expect from his size.
Maybe Donaldson becomes part of the solution. Maybe he doesn’t.
But what the Saints have been doing hasn’t worked, and that alone makes a change worth considering. He has already earned trust with his pass protection and short-yardage reps.
Donaldson is going to have a role in this rotation, and giving him more than just third-and-short work could do one more important thing: it might finally make defenses think twice when he’s on the field.
In Other News...
Saints Pressure Is Rising Fast After Public Message To Kellen Moore
The early weeks of the 2026 season have already put the Saints in a difficult spot, and the frustration around the team has moved well beyond the building. New Orleans is 1-4, and team owner Gayle Benson made her dissatisfaction with the level of play clear in public, a notable signal of how quickly the mood has turned around a club that expected more stability under Kellen Moore.
Moore responded by stressing the organizations commitment to improvement, but the on-field results have not given the Saints much breathing room. With losses piling up and the schedule bringing the New York Giants next, New Orleans suddenly finds itself trying to steady both its play and its confidence before the pressure gets any heavier. [Read more 🡒]
Kellen Moore Is Feeling Real Saints Pressure After Gayle Benson Speaks
Kellen Moore is feeling the kind of early-season heat that comes with coaching in New Orleans, where expectations rarely wait for the calendar to catch up. After the Saints stumbled to a 1-4 start in 2026, Moore was asked about team performance and about owner Gayle Bensons recent comments pushing for results, a message that landed even harder after the clubs strong finish to last year.
Moore said he and Benson share the same goal of getting the team moving in the right direction, but he did not frame the conversation as one that requires a wholesale change in how the Saints are going about things. The pressure is real because the record is real, and while the season is still young, the patience around a slow start in New Orleans is usually thinner than the margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Kellen Moore Addresses Growing Pressure Around Saints' Brutal Start
The Saints 1-4 start has naturally turned up the heat around Kellen Moore, but the first-year coach said he is not dwelling on the noise. Moore said he has not met with owner Gayle Benson about the slow start and made clear he has no problem with her public criticism of the record, stressing instead that his focus is on getting the team pointed in the right direction.
Moore said he and Benson see each other several times a week, but they have not sat down to talk through the issues that have followed the poor opening. He also brushed aside speculation about his job status, keeping the message centered on improvement and moving forward as the Saints try to steady themselves after a rough beginning. [Read more 🡒]