RB-rich Saints hosting former Pro Bowler, rushing champion
from Victor Barbosa, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
The New Orleans Saints are looking into the possibility of adding a third big name to their running back room.
Source: Kareem Hunt is making a free agent visiting to the #Saints
The former rushing leader could be headed to NFC South. pic.twitter.com/Qjse1eHSnl
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 7, 2023
If New Orleans were to land Hunt, he would be joining an already stacked offense, on paper.
Though starting running back Alvin Kamara will be suspended to begin the 2023 campaign, he’ll only miss the first three games (less than 20% of the season). The Saints already have depth in the backfield, signing last year’s leader in rushing touchdowns (Jamaal Williams) in the offseason and selecting Kendre Miller in the third round of this year’s draft.
Their receiving corps includes 2022 11th overall pick Chris Olave and three-time Pro Bowler Michael Thomas, who is looking to play his first full season since 2019. The team also added four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr to be their starting quarterback in the fall.
Hunt’s best season was his 2017 rookie campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs when he led the NFL in rushing yards (1,327) and also had career highs in rushing attempts (272), rushing touchdowns (eight), yards per carry (4.9), targets (63), receptions (53) and receiving yards (455). He earned his lone Pro Bowl honor that year and finished as the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up.
The 28-year-old Hunt spent one more season with the Chiefs before playing the last four years with the Cleveland Browns. Hunt split work but mostly played second fiddle to four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb in the Browns backfield from 2019-2022
He finished last season with 158 touches (123 rushing attempts) for 678 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns. Given Kamara’s relatively short suspension length and the presence of Williams and Miller, New Orleans may not necessarily need Hunt, but the addition of the Toledo product couldn’t hurt.
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