Saints RB Depth Chart: Tony Jones Jr., Dwayne Washington Lead New Orleans Backyard on Thanksgiving

The Saints have relied heavily on their running game during the transition to the post-Drew Brees era in 2021.

New Orleans has held the ball 46.5% of the time this season. That’s good for the sixth highest score in the NFL. The team has relied on Alvin Kamara and, in recent weeks, Mark Ingram to shoulder and spark his offense.

But on Thanksgiving Day, the Saints will have to look elsewhere to run production again.

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Both Kamara and Ingram are facing knee injuries and will be out for the team’s Week 12 game against the Bills. That will force them to look deeper down their depth chart to find effective defenders who can ease the pressure on midfielder Trevor Siemian.

Who could the backrunners be? Here’s who topped the Saints’ backyard depth rankings ahead of Thursday night’s clash with Buffalo.

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Saints . RB depth chart

The Saints have some experience in running again despite Kamara and Ingram’s absence. Their remaining four linebackers have a combined 586 NFL career carry, but the team’s much-anticipated #1 pick has the fewest of the bunch.

1. Tony Jones Jr.

Jones is expected to be the top back runner for the Saints in this competition. He is a second-year player leaving Notre Dame in 2020 and spending his first season on the Saints’ training team.

Jones, 24, earned a spot on the 53-man roster for 2021 and started the season as the Saints’ top backup after Latavius ​​Murray’s debut. However, Jones suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and was admitted to IR. He was activated on Week 11 and continued to act as the top backup, when Kamara was inactive.

So far this season, Jones has averaged 11.2 snaps per game. He will likely see significantly more as the principal runs against the Bill of Lading. Jones has made 22 79 yards this season and has caught four passes for 10 yards.

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2. Dwayne Washington

Washington, 27, has established himself as the man to beat special teams since being picked by the Lions in the seventh round in 2016. However, he will be asked to do more against the Bills on Thursday. Year.

Washington has been with the Saints since 2018 and averaged 5.2 yards per take over those four seasons. It is true that he has only had 47 dash attempts, but he has proven that he can succeed between balls.

The Saints will likely use Washington as a power addition to the cunning Jones. Washington (6-1) is bigger than Jones (5-11) even though they weigh the same; Washington weighs 223 pounds while Jones weighs 224.

However, since Jones has never handled the full amount of work at the NFL level, it would make sense for The Saints to incorporate Washington into some short-range situations and goal-line. Washington is also the longest-serving fitter on the Saints’ roster, so his experience gives him an edge for backup work.

3. Ty Montgomery

Yes, Ty Montgomery is technically a collector. However, he has played back several times in his career. He had to switch positions during his second season with the Packers in 2016, when they suffered a lot of injuries in the position and needed someone to replace him. Montgomery stepped up and proved to be an effective player.

Montgomery has shifted between the two positions in his career but has been largely a payee for The Saints. He has lined up in the backyard just 18 times this season but he will almost certainly do more against the Bills. He figured he would become a third defender who could spell Jones when needed.

Montgomery has averaged 4.7 yards per take and 8.2 yards per catch during his career. He had more yards (114) than received yards (81) in his two seasons with the Saints.

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4. Josh Adams

Adams is currently on the training team for the Saints. They signed him after the team organized a trial run back in early November while Kamara dealt with a knee injury. Adams has yet to play a game for the Saints but could be called up to the active roster to provide more depth on a return run.

Adams started his career with the Eagles in 2018, and he hit 511 dash yards and 3 touchdowns as an unremarkable Georgia Tech rookie. He created just 169 yards and two touchdowns on 37 attempts in the three seasons since.