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Adrian Peterson would be Mark Ingram’s backup in New Orleans?

Adrian Peterson

With Adrian Peterson closing in on a deal with the New Orleans Saints (which you can read about here), it begs a question. What’s to become of Mark Ingram? Ingram is four years younger than Peterson and coming off of a season where he ran for 1,043 yards at 5.1 yards per carry.

A reader asked a Nick Underhill of The Advocate a similar question, wondering why would the Saints sign Peterson when they have Ingram on the roster? Underhill’s response indicated that Peterson may be taking an unfamiliar role for him as a backup.

Indeed, New Orleans can use a little more depth in its running game. While Ingram was effective, the team’s 404 carries were 19th in the NFL in 2016. Even with a quarterback as good as Drew Brees, a one-dimensional offense is not a good plan of attack. Brees has never attempted more passes than he did in 2016. His second and third highest totals came in 2012, and 2014. In all three of those seasons, the Saints missed the playoffs.

On top of that, injuries have been a prevalent part of Ingram’s career. He did play in all 16 games in 2016. But that marked only the second time in Ingram’s career where he did that. Aside from those two years, Ingram has never topped 13 games in a season.

So, while Peterson may be brought in as a backup, he’d also be a solid insurance policy.

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