Running back Alvin Kamara has been a big part of the Saints passing game since arriving in New Orleans as a third-round pick in 2017 and he’s on pace for his biggest year yet.
Kamara caught nine passes for 96 yards in Sunday’s overtime win against the Bears and he now has 55 catches for 556 yards on the year. As noted by Jeff Nowak of NOLA.com, he’s the third back to catch at least 50 passes in each of his first four seasons and is on pace to become the NFL’s single-season leader in catches and receiving yards by a running back.
Christian McCaffrey set the catch mark with 119 receptions last year while Marshall Faulk piled up 1,098 receiving yards in 1999. Kamara, who had 81 catches in each of his first three seasons, is on pace for 125 catches and 1,270 yards at the moment.
His usage could be impacted by the returns of wide receivers Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, but Kamara’s going to remain a frequent target of Drew Brees regardless of who else is around.