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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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NFL teams have wrapped up their respective organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps, and after a near month-long break, they’ll pick things back up near the end of July for training camp.
The first preseason game takes place on Thursday, Aug. 6 on NBC when the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals face off in the Hall of Fame Game. The rest of the preseason’s first week will take place from Aug. 13-15, followed by Week 2 on Aug. 20-23, and Week 3 on Aug. 27-29.
But before the preseason gets underway, teams must first report to training camp. The New Orleans Saints are scheduled to report to training camp on July 28, and below is their biggest position battle to watch this summer.
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Position Battle: RB | Travis Etienne vs. Alvin Kamara vs. Kendre Miller vs. Audric Estime vs. Devin Neal
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It’s been eight seasons since the Saints had a 1,000-yard rusher.
New Orleans ranked 28th in the league in rushing last season (94.3 yards per game), and the team was one of six to average less than 100 yards rushing per game.
Alvin Kamara led the team with 471 yards and one touchdown. It was his lowest output since the team drafted him in 2017. Though he’s never hit 1,000 yards in the NFL, Kamara used to be a safe bet for 800 yards and six or more scores.
But he’ll be 31 next month, and Kamara clearly isn’t the home-run hitter he used to be.
Enter Travis Etienne.
The 27-year-old former first-round pick is coming off a 1,107-yard, seven-touchdown season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and his $52 million contract signals the Saints are ready to build the offense around him and push Kamara into an RB2 role.
Etienne has hit the 1,000-yard plateau in three of his four seasons, and his 168 receptions, 1,338 yards receiving, and even touchdowns through the air mean he’s a dual-threat weapon poised to make the Saints offense all the more dangerous.
Devin Neal (206 yards, two touchdowns), Audric Estime (198 yards, one touchdown), and Kendre Miller (193 yards, one touchdown) all played solid roles last year backing up Kamara, and if the former Vols star is traded before the season like it’s been speculated he will, it’s possible one of them will be playing in an elevated role.
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