The Saints walked out of Week 9 with 160 rushing yards, and on the surface that looks like progress. But the number doesn’t tell the whole story, and it certainly doesn’t mean the ground game is fixed.
New Orleans entered the bye with one of the league’s worst rushing attacks, a problem that had been wrecking its chances to win. The Week 6 outing against the New York Giants looked like a step forward, but the Saints got a better read on that performance after what happened in Paris against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That day made it clear the Giants’ run defense had a lot to do with the success.
Against the Cleveland Browns, the Saints got another favorable matchup on paper. Cleveland has been strong defensively overall, but its run defense has been a different issue. New Orleans needed to take advantage of that, and it did enough to post a better stat line.
The organization has also started making changes. The Saints cut Kendre Miller, fired run game coordinator T.J.
Paganetti, and added Audric Estime to the roster. Estime was the kind of runner New Orleans should not have let go before the season, and the decision now looks like one the team regretted.
He brings the ability to grind out difficult yards and fight through contact, something the Saints have lacked from Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara, and Kendre Miller. With run blocking still a major issue, New Orleans needs backs who can create something after the first hit.
Estime delivered exactly that against the Browns. He turned in one of the Saints’ best rushing performances of the season, showing off the traits that make him valuable: breaking tackles, squeezing out tough yards, and waiting for the right crease before attacking it.
Still, the full picture was messier. Tyler Shough finished as the team’s second-leading rusher with 51 yards, and most of that came on broken plays or when pressure arrived right away.
His lone designed run lost yards. Beyond that, the Saints never really found steady rhythm on the ground.
And that’s the point here: one good day doesn’t erase the larger problem. If Miller had still been on the roster and Estime had not been there, this rushing output almost certainly would have looked a lot worse.
So no, the Saints haven’t turned the corner yet. Not on the ground.
In Other News...
Saints Face A Trade Deadline Decision Fans Will Debate
The Saints place in the NFC South has made their trade deadline posture harder to read than most rebuilding teams. They are tied for first, but the front office is still operating with the long view in mind, and the Davon Godchaux deal already showed this could be a roster-shaping week rather than a stand-pat one. With New Orleans in the middle of a rebuild, every move has to balance the present standings against the need to keep building for later.
That is why the next few days could bring more interest in veterans who might draw real market attention. Chase Young, Carl Granderson and Devaughn Vele are among the names other teams could circle, but the Saints are also trying to protect their stockpile of draft capital as much as possible. The tension is obvious: if the offers are strong enough, New Orleans could keep reshaping the roster, but it does not want to sacrifice the picks it needs to keep the rebuild moving. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Have A Chance To Tighten Their NFC South Grip Sunday
The Saints head into Sundays home game against Carolina with a little more room to breathe after their latest win, but not enough to get comfortable. New Orleans and the Panthers are tied atop the NFC South heading into Week 10, and the division picture could shift quickly with the Saints hosting a Carolina team that has dropped three straight. It is the kind of midseason matchup that can either reinforce a lead or turn a race back into a scramble.
A big part of New Orleans edge has been the pressure up front, where Chase Young has become a major factor in the pass rush. He is already among the league leaders in sacks and has given the Saints a disruptive presence they can lean on as they try to keep control of the division race. Against a Panthers team looking to stop its skid, the Saints will have a chance to make another statement without needing to leave the comfort of home. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Injury Could Force A Line Decision Fans Werent Expecting
Erik McCoys injury has complicated what had been a real possibility for the Saints, because moving Cesar Ruiz now would leave the interior offensive line thinner at a spot that matters even more when protecting quarterback Tyler Shough. The situation has turned what looked like a straightforward roster conversation into a much more delicate one, with New Orleans having to weigh short-term stability against any longer-term plans.
Ruiz may end up shifting to center to help cover McCoys absence, and that opens the door for rookie Jeremiah Wright to handle right guard. For the Saints, that is more than just a patch job. It gives them a chance to see Wright in live action during the season and get a better read on whether that position needs to be addressed again once the offseason arrives. [Read more 🡒]