Saints' Alvin Kamara: Gets new running mate in backfield

Kamara has added competition for carries this coming season after the Saints agreed to a deal Wednesday with free-agent running back Jamaal Williams, ESPN.com reports.

Kamara's overall production stagnated as he dealt with numerous lingering injuries throughout the 2022 campaign, logging 1,387 total yards on 280 touches across 15 regular-season games. However, he still accounted for the vast majority of the Saints' carries at running back, as the team sorely lacked depth in the backfield and across the offense as a whole. The addition of Williams changes the backfield dynamic, with the 224-pound bruiser having come off a productive 2022 campaign in Detroit in which he logged 262 carries for 1,066 yards and a franchise-record and NFL-high 17 touchdowns. The 27-year-old Williams should once again fall into a complementary role in New Orleans while playing behind Kamara. The Saints' No. 1 running back is still set to begin trial July 31 after he was charged with conspiracy to commit battery and substantial bodily harm stemming from a February 2022 incident. Therefore, Kamara's availability for the beginning of the 2023 campaign will likely be up in the air until this case concludes.