Despite a number of close calls—the Saints have won their last four by a combined 15 points—New Orleans is sitting pretty at 5-2, good for second in the NFC South behind division-leading Tampa Bay. That’s impressive, considering Michael Thomas, who set the NFL’s single-season catch record a year ago, hasn’t touched the field since Week 1. The Saints have been able to stay afloat largely thanks to the contributions of Alvin Kamara, who has been an absolute monster out of the backfield with 987 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns (four rushing, three receiving).
The recent recipient of a five-year, $75-million extension, the former Rookie of the Year has been on a heater for New Orleans, pacing the Saints in both rushing (431) and receiving (556) yards. Through seven games, Kamara has already punched in more touchdowns than he did all of last season and, if the talented 25-year-old continues at his torrid pace, he could rewrite the record books as the most prolific pass-catcher the running back position has ever produced. That’s not an exaggeration. Just look at these stats from ESPN’s Field Yates.
Kamara, who ranks second to only Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins in catches with 55, is on pace for an unprecedented 126-1,271-7 receiving line. Only three running backs have ever cleared 1,000 yards receiving with Marshall Faulk’s 1,048 (accomplished in 1999) standing as the position’s high-water mark. The record for most catches by a running back belongs to Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey, who bettered his own record with 116 snags last season. In a bizarre statistical anomaly, Kamara has registered exactly 81 catches each year since arriving as the 67th overall pick in 2017. Barring injury, Kamara should breeze past that total in 2020.
The continued absence of Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders’ recent COVID diagnosis have led to an expanded role for Kamara in the Saints’ passing game, though even in Week 1—the only time Sanders and Thomas have shared the field this season—Kamara remained heavily involved with eight targets, converting those into five grabs for 51 yards and a touchdown. The University of Tennessee alum is also projected for 2,256 yards from scrimmage, which would top the franchise mark currently held by Deuce McAllister (2,157). In many ways, Kamara is the perfect target for aging quarterback Drew Brees who, due in part to his declining arm strength, has rarely tested teams downfield this season (5.4 average depth of target).
Obviously, Kamara has higher ambitions than setting individual records, but if the three-time Pro Bowler continues on his current trajectory, his explosive 2020 campaign could go down as one of the greatest we’ve ever witnessed.
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