The New Orleans Saints didn't wait long to get busy in free agency, and they landed multiple exciting pieces on offense, including RB Travis Etienne.
The goal is clear, as color analyst and Saints legend Deuce McAllister broke down on WWL Radio this week: Add pop in the ground game.
"I can tell you one thing. He’s a guy that’s going to get some explosive runs," McAllister told WWL's Mike Detillier, "and that’s probably been my biggest gripe the last couple years. You haven’t had enough plus-20, plus-30-yard runs, and when you talk about having a young quarterback, that’s what you’ve got to have."
Hear Deuce McAllister's full free agency breakdown in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The Saints were tied for 29th in the NFL with just five rushes of 20-plus yards last season, and they were one of five teams to not register a carry of 40-plus yards. Of those explosive runs, only one came from the running back position and it was a 34-yard TD run by Audric Estime in a Week 17 win over the Titans.
Meanwhile Etienne had seven carries of 20-plus yards on his own last year, three of which went for 40-plus, and he's been an explosive playmaker throughout his 4-year NFL career. He's also surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in three of his four NFL seasons. The only question remaining is how the Saints choose to deploy the 27-year-old in his Louisiana homecoming, with a suddenly crowded running back room that still includes Alvin Kamara, 2023 third rounder Kendre Miller, a 6th round pick from last year in Devin Neal as well as Estime.
"I like [Etienne], but I just don’t know if he is just your lead back," Deuce continued, "and what I mean by that is I don’t know if he’s a guy that I am going to say, all right, he’s my first and second down guy and now I have a third down guy, or it’s vice versa, where he’s the second and third down guy and maybe I just don’t use him as much on first down. That’s what, really, I want to see, what the overall idea is."
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The Saints made multiple other splashes in this year's free agency cycle, also adding a top guard in former Bills lineman David Edwards, TE Noah Fant and they're bringing back LB Kaden Elliss after a three-year run with the Falcons. The Saints will see a pair of key players depart in LB Demario Davis (Jets) and CB Alontae Taylor (Titans).
"You feel pretty good about where they are and now [on the OL]," McAllister said, "it’s just getting some chemistry, getting to know each other a little bit better, getting to play with each other and now you can say hey, we can protect the quarterback, we can take care of the quarterback and we can open up lanes for whomever is at the running back position.”