There's no more mystery. The Saints know exactly how long they'll have to make do without star RB Alvin Kamara, and that's a good thing.
Speaking for the first time since the three-game suspension was announced, Dennis Allen made it clear that the Saints were satisfied with how the discipline was levied.
"Any time you’re going to lose one of your better players for any period time, it’s disappointing," Allen said. "But I think a 3-game suspension is a pretty good outcome for us. So we’ll adjust accordingly and kind of move forward."
Some level of discipline felt all but guaranteed for Kamara after the criminal case stemming from a Las Vegas assault incident was knocked down to a misdemeanor earlier this offseason. Kamara flew out to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this week to share his side of the story and -- as he explained Friday afternoon -- to apologize for his role in what he knows was "embarrassing" for the league, his team and everyone else involved.
It's unclear whether that visit swayed anything relative to his suspension, but it certainly could've been more lengthy. He'll miss the season-opener against the Titans, then road matchups with the Panthers and Packers before making his debut in Week 4 at the Caesars Superdome against the Bucs.
When he does return, it'll be without a major distraction that Allen said was clearly weighing on the typically affable RB throughout the 2022 season.
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“When you have something like that that’s kind of hovering over you, it’s challenging to fight through," Allen said. "I thought he did a pretty good job of that. But yet I sense that there’s a little bit of relief that there’s some finality to this."
He'll still be eligible to practice throughout training camp and participate in preseason games, and Allen indicated that the plans for him would not change. He'll keep getting his typical reps at practice, though it'll be veteran Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller that have to be ready to take the reins in Week 1.
"The great thing about it is we know what it is and we know that we’re going to have Alvin for 14 games," Allen said. "So he’ll still be a big part of what we’re doing.”
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