What Cutting Super Bowl LVI Champion Running Back Means for the Saints

Now that the “tryouts” for the New Orleans have concluded with their final preseason game, the media’s attention on them will now focus on the decisions of the coaching staff. Finalizations are due today for their roster for the official season. The news coverage since Sunday afternoon has been reports of who did and didn’t make the cut to be among the 53 men who we will see on the field starting on September 7th. The staff of this team has made some incredible alterations, including the replacement of their head coach, a competition for the position of QB, and even acquiring players from other football leagues. Although most of these decisions have been viewed as questionable, there has been some relief in signing players from within the NFL itself who have actually played in the games. For example, one, and if not, the best decision was adding Super Bowl LVI Champion RB Cam Akers after a successful performance during their minicamp. This was a relief to Saints fans who were concerned that his talent had been overlooked. A suitable replacement running back was especially needed after the departure of Alvin Kamara, who had proven invaluable to the Saints during his eight years with them. However, the confidence of the fans in their team was lowered yesterday when the announcement came down that, after almost two and a half months, Mr. Akers won’t be on the Saints’ roster in the upcoming season. 

Let’s look back at Cam’s NFL resume, which was also available to the Saints’ coaching staff. He started in five of the 13 games of his rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams, during which he would go on to have 145 rushing attempts, a gain of 625 rushing yards, and score two rushing touchdowns to contribute to the Rams' 10-6 season. One of the highlights of his rookie year was being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week due to his performance in Week 14, in which he rushed for 171 yards on 29 attempts against the opposing New England Patriots. His second season with the Rams would be limited to an injury in training camp, but he would return in their Playoff game of Week 18 and in their Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Akers would remain for the 2022 and partial 2023 seasons until he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and played six games until he was injured in their Week Nine game against the Atlanta Falcons. Before the start of the most recent season, he was signed to the Houston Texans, where he would start in two of the five games he played. That October, he would be traded to the Vikings, where he would complete his season on both teams with 104 rushing attempts, a gain of 444 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.   

This 26-year-old was the solution to one of the main problems for the New Orleans Saints. One of the main and consistent difficulties during their preseason games was the inability to cross into the end zone and make touchdowns. Yes, field goals do put points on the scoreboard to narrow the deficit between you and your competitor. However, that shouldn’t always be the result of nine minutes of effort your offense devoted against a difficult defense. A running back such as Cam Akers would have easily been a reliable asset for conversions to a first down. You can’t always rely on your quarterback to take the risk of running with the ball, while you have other players who could do the job. Experience is essential for this team, and Cam would’ve fulfilled that requirement for a team that has aspirations of making the Playoffs after a five-season absence. Perhaps after reading this article, the coaching staff will reconsider their decision later in the season, assuming Mr. Akers hasn’t already been acquired by one of their rivals.