Travis

Etienne

Travis Etienne is getting “the bulk” of the first-team reps on early downs, and Duncan notes “he’ll be surprised if it’s a Kamara-Mark Ingram-like 50-50 split when all is said and done.” It feels like Kamara is settling in for a lower situational role, but perhaps not situational enough for the comfort of Etienne-reliant fantasy managers, as the Saints’ new signing carries an ADP in the late 30s or early 40s on most sites.

It’s almost certainly a pay cut for Kamara, but the Saints could also be throwing him a bone with incentives or extra years on his deal. The Saints spent much of the offseason trying to get Kamara to agree to a new deal but had little leverage to make it happen. Kamara has talked about wanting to finish his career in New Orleans, so he may have decided to concede financially in order to stay put. He will likely pitch in on passing downs to take some work of Travis Etienne’s plate. Etienne, however, still figures to see the bulk of the carries and some designed targets.

What does this mean for fantasy purposes? In short, it means he thinks the Saints are going to feature Etienne as an offensive focal point. Underhill believes the Saints are entering a “post-Alvin Kamara world,” although he acknowledges that Kamara may stick around for one more season. That said, Underhill thinks Etienne will operate as a “full-volume starter” and describes him as a “three-down player.” If Kamara does play for the Saints this season, Underhill does not think Kamara’s presence “changes the outcome significantly” for Etienne’s touch count. Toward the end of the segment, Underhill projects Etienne for 235 carries, 1,050 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 42 catches, 330 receiving yards and 3-4 receiving touchdowns. Splitting the difference on the receiving touchdowns brings the total to 231.5 PPR points, which would have made him the RB15 last season. Treating him as a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside makes sense.

The participants include Nick Underhill, Mike Triplett, John Hendrix and Adam Guttuso. Kamara’s status with the team is still up in the air, and Underhill notes that all four reporters “have Kamara on the roster for now, but none of us really understands the endgame there.” The Saints have reportedly been lining up RB Ty Chandler in the backfield, out wide and in the slot, theoretically foreshadowing Kamara’s role, if he indeed remains a Saint. If Kamara leaves, RB Travis Etienne can be expected to handle a high-end workload. If Kamara remains, his touch count could keep Etienne stuck in the fantasy RB2 tier.

Moore didn’t outright confirm that Kamara would be with the team this year. When asked whether Kamara would be on the team, Moore only said, “I think that’s how you always prepare.” Kamara and the Saints are in a bit of a standoff, with the Saints seemingly wanting him to take a pay cut while having no leverage to force the issue. The veteran runner made a surprise appearance at OTAs last week to make his presence known, though he was only with the team for a single day. Moore said he expects Kamara to be present at minicamp next week. For now, it looks like Kamara will be a Saint this year. He will likely play a change-of-pace role behind Travis Etienne.

Underhill believes RB Travis Etienne’s skillset “is exactly what the Saints need if inside zone and outside zone are going to remain the base.” That said, the Saints are also excited about Etienne’s versatility. Paganetti praised his intelligence, pass protection, route running ability and added that Etienne is more than just a one-cut runner. If RB Alvin Kamara, 30, remains with the team, Underhill believes Etienne’s presence allows the team to use Kamara selectively, rather than relying on him all game long. Underhill adds that the Saints’ play-action passing game was very efficient in 13 personnel, albeit via a small sample size. The front office added multiple tight ends this offseason and the coaching staff wants the running game “to feed the passing game,” which could mean more runs out of three-tight end sets. Etienne is looking like an RB2 with RB1 upside in an ascending offense.

Kamara showed up for practice while his 2026 contract situation is very much in flux. Several reports over the past couple weeks have suggested Kamara, entering his age-31 season, won’t return to the Saints for the 2026 season after the team signed Travis Etienne during free agency. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said in mid-May that he’s “trying to see” how Kamara might fit on the team’s roster. Kamara carries a $10.4 million cap hit coming into the 2026 season if the Saints keep him on the team in the coming weeks. Kamara, who had 471 rushing yards over 11 games last season, ranked 32nd out of 75 qualifying running backs in missed tackles forced per carry. He ranked 70th in yards after contact per carry.

Kamara said he “couldn’t be happier” that the Saints signed Etienne and referenced his success splitting the Saints’ backfield with Mark Ingram. He also noted that he’s been training and has even watched film on Saints first-round rookie Jordyn Tyson. As NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill put it, “It’s incredibly clear that Alvin Kamara wants to be here and be part of the Saints.” The team may still want to adjust his contract. Kamara has a $10.4 million cap figure for 2026 with several void years in the future. Even if some accounting needs to be done, all signs point to Kamara playing football in New Orleans this year.

If we’re reading between the lines, Moore didn’t exactly give a “yes” or “no” answer, but he did say that Kamara is “part of the running back room” and added that the combination of Kamara and Travis Etienne is “a great situation” for the team. Moore was evasive about Kamara’s future with the team when asked about it earlier this month, and there have been rumors that the soon-to-be 31-year-old back may opt to retire this offseason. Kamara’s opportunities are expected to drop significantly with Etienne now in the building, but he could still see plenty of usage as a third-down option if he remains on the team in 2026. For now, Kamara is a Saint, but Moore’s quote didn’t exactly instill confidence that he’ll remain with the team this season.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported last week that Etienne “could fit” with the Saints. Now, the 27-year-old back is headed to the Big Easy to presumably take over as the team’s RB1, immediately putting Alvin Kamara’s already uncertain future even more in doubt. Etienne rushed 260 times for 1,107 yards last season while also scoring seven times on the ground. He added another 36 catches for 292 yards and six receptions, averaging a solid 5.6 yards per touch on the season. Etienne is a versatile three-down back whose pass-catching upside will put him in the conversation as a high-end RB2 in fantasy leagues next season. Assuming a high-volume role in New Orleans, he should have a chance to replicate last year’s success when he finished as the RB14 in fantasy points per game.