The New Orleans Saints have a lot of questions heading into Week 5 of the 2021 season. But Deuce McAllister has some answers.
The WWL analyst and former Saints running back joined SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert, Kristian Garic and Mike Detillier this week to go over a handful of hot topics before a matchup with the Washington Football Team.
For starters: Who should be the starting cornerback across from Marshon Lattimore. Rookie Paulson Adebo has held up admirably in his first four career games, but is it time to start seeing more of Bradley Roby, the veteran acquired in a trade with the Texans shortly before the start of the season?
It depends on what your goals are for the season, McAllister says.
"I'm just saying, are you still in the developmental phase as far as this team is concerned? Or do you feel like you can go out there and compete and win? And I think that's really what you have to determine," McAllister said. "And I think from the moves that they've made and the commitment they've made, as far as other players and doing things that they've done. Then I definitely think they are trying to win some games. And if that's the case, then I think you go ahead and make the move with the veteran."
How about Devine Ozigbo, whom the Saints signed this week off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. He's a familiar name, originally latching on with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2019 before being one of the last cuts ahead of the initial roster. His role could be important with No. 2 running back Tony Jones Jr. going down with an ankle injury in Week 4 that's expected to keep him out multiple weeks.
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"I think that he could obviously help you out on special teams. But I think at the end of the day, as well, you need another body," McAllister said.
While Kamara is still going to get a hefty workload as the unquestioned star at the position, the lack of a trustworthy second option means a clear change in his role. Kamara didn't catch a pass in the Week 4 loss to the Giants, but he tallied 26 carries. The rushing total was a career high, which he used to roll up 120 yards on the ground, and it was just the second time in his career Kamara was held without a reception.
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Ozigbo is a useful pass-catcher in his own right, but his sturdy build -- 6-foot-2, 225 pounds -- also profiles well to take some of the pounding runs off Kamara's plate. The Saints simply don't want to overload their star back early in the season, knowing he'll be vitally important down the stretch.
"Then you talk about being able to have him and use him on short yardage, I think that's another option," McAllister said. "You needed another body as far as running back, you knew that, once Tony got hurt. And so it's an opportunity for Ozigbo to be able to step and in say, 'hey, I can help and play.' "
See more of McAllister's appearance on SportsTalk in the video player at the top of the page, or the full interview in the embed above. Check out WWL Sports on Youtube and hit the bell to subscribe to make sure you don't miss an update!