It's happened a handful of times already: Alvin Kamara sets up in the backfield or motions out wide, then breaks out on wheel route or up the seam -- with Derek Carr on the same page.
One of those plays happened on Friday at Saints training camp, with Kamara easily outstripping LB Zack Baun up the sideline on a wheel route with Carr laying the ball in over the top for what would've been a huge gain.
"I’m like, just happy, happy, happy, jumping for joy when I see those play calls in and when we get things like that going," Kamara said, affirming that it's a part of the playbook he sees making a resurgence.
That downfield passing to the running back position has been something that Kamara's excelled at throughout his career, but it's been noticeably de-emphasized the past two seasons. Kamara caught exactly 81 or more passes each of his first three seasons and averaged more than 700 yards per season. Over the past two years, those averages dropped to 52 catches and about 450 yards.
A handful of big-target games skewed that figure upward, with Kamara catching 3 or fewer passes 16 times over the past two years (28 total games). Over his first four seasons, that happened just 15 times total (60 games).
The targets should be there this time, because Carr wants to throw them.
"I think Derek wants to more than anything," Kamara said. "Obviously you know what can happen when we’ve got that going."
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The only thing that could stand in the way is a three-game suspension for Kamara to open the season, but the Saints have taken clear steps to help mitigate that absence. The team signed Jamaal Williams last offseason, drafted Kendre Miller in the third round, and is expected to sign Kareem Hunt this week.
“I don’t expect any dropoff in our room, specifically. … Those guys are going to hold it down," Kamara said. "It can’t stop. It don't stop. One person don’t stop the show."
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