The Kansas City Chiefs cut former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but it didn’t take long for the LSU product to find a new home with the New Orleans Saints. Famously selected ahead of guys like Jonathan Taylor and D’Andre Swift, Edwards-Helaire never played up to his draft capital in Kansas City despite receiving multiple opportunities to do so. Now signed to the practice squad, his presence could mean that running back Alvin Kamara won’t suit up in Week 16, or possibly for the rest of the season.
With Kamara possibly sidelined with a groin injury, former third-round pick Kendre Miller was in a position to take the starting job and possibly become a fantasy football league-winner. However, will this projection change now that Edwards-Helaire is in the picture?
How Clyde Edwards-Helaire Impacts Kendre Miller, Saints Backfield
Let’s start with a disclaimer: if Alvin Kamara plays in Week 16, he will be the featured back. The five-time Pro Bowler suffered a groin injury in Week 15’s loss to the Washington Commanders and nobody knows whether or not he’ll suit up in Week 16. While the running back wants to play, nobody would blame the Saints for resting him. Seeing as the team is already eliminated from the playoffs, New Orleans gains nothing by risking further injury to one of their best players, especially since he recently signed an extension to keep him with the team through his age-31 seasonAs discussed in a previous article, Kendre Miller will see most of the work in Kamara’s absence. Jamaal Williams hardly saw the field following Kamara’s injury, so he won’t be anything more than a change of pace back. The same is true for Clyde Edwards-Helaire, as he just joined the team and won’t have time to learn a full playbook. However, he could have some scripted plays that could eat into Miller’s projected workload.
Situational Usage
With Kamara out, the New Orleans Saints do not have a dedicated pass-catching back. Miller has caught just 12 passes on 16 targets through his short NFL career, and nothing about his collegiate profile suggests this lack of production is a byproduct of former head coach Dennis Allen’s disdain for the running back. During his time at TCU, Miller never recorded more than 16 receptions for 117 yards in any given season.
Jamaal Williams is in a similar boat. The running back peaked with 39 receptions for 253 yards, but that came back in 2019 with the Green Bay Packers. The former fourth-round pick has not eclipsed 75 receiving yards since the 2021 season, so he shouldn’t see a large workload in the passing game. Someone must catch passes, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the best choice for the job.
At 5′-7″ and 207 pounds, Clyde Edwards-Helaire is too small to be a three-down back for both the Chiefs and the Saints. However, his elusive style of play makes him a decent fit for a third-down role in this offense. With rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler likely to start, New Orleans needs a safe checkdown option near the line of scrimmage, and Edwards-Helaire could serve that role. While he obviously won’t match Kamara’s production in the passing game, he could be a better option than pure runners like Miller and Williams.
