The Case for Alvin Kamara

With the exception of Panthers’ running back Christian McCaffrey, there might not be a better pass-catching running back in all the NFL than Alvin Kamara.

And there might not be a running back that gets more volume through the air than Kamara either (again, with the exception of McCaffrey). The Saints running back has broke 95 passing targets in each of his three NFL seasons, and even eclipsed the 100-target mark in his first two seasons.

Kamara is leaned on heavily in the passing game, as shown by his 81 receptions in each of his three seasons as a pro, leading to some impressive yards from scrimmage numbers that should be on pace to happen again in 2020. But maybe more impressive than the volume Kamara gets in the Saints offense, is what he’s able to do with that volume.

Catch rates for running backs can be misleading, as oftentimes they’re stuck with easy catches in the backfield, but try not to overlook Kamara’s numbers here. Over his career, he’s bringing in over 80% of his total targets and turning them into good yards as well. 

Kamara is an ever-present threat as a receiver, but he’s no slouch as a runner either. The issue with Kamara’s rushing totals is his volume– the Saints running back has never had more than 200 carries in a season. Even in 2019, with Mark Ingram gone and the backfield looking like it was his to take, Kamara saw only 171 carries.

Given, some of that could be due to injury. Kamara wasn’t playing at 100% for large chunks of 2019, but even when he was healthier, the Saints back never saw more than 17 carries in a game.

Also in Kamara’s defense, he didn’t need many reps on the ground to look like an efficient runner, turning those 171 carries into nearly 800 yards– despite the injuries as well. 

A Saints optimist might see these as signs that Kamara is due for an uptick in volume, but even if that does happen, will it be enough to put together a better season than Elliott.