Few teams had more issues with their running game than the New Orleans Saints did in 2025. The issues were countless. Scheme, injuries, then more injuries, and an awful performance by the offensive line top the list. We continue our look back at the Saints 2025 team rankings with a look at the New Orleans rushing production.

Saints Running Attack

94.3 yards per game (28th)

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Yardage leader: Alvin Kamara (471 yards)

Touchdowns leader: Tyler Shough (3)

Longest carry: Tyler Shough (34 yards)

New Orleans rushed for their fewest yards in a season since 2015, a 16-game season. They ranked only 23rd in rushing attempts, despite the fact that they were within striking distance of the majority of their 11 losses. That part is largely the doing of head coach Kellen Moore, who never really did much to help the team’s running game get on track. This included the misuse of the team’s most consistent offensive weapon.

Alvin Kamara led the Saints with 471 rushing yards in spite of missing the last seven games with injury. Even in only 11 games, Kamara’s average of 42.8 rush yards per game and 3.6 per carry were both the lowest of his nine-year career. He had over 70 yards on the ground in only three games and was held to 45 rushing yards or fewer in an astonishing seven outings.

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Kendre Miller (193 yards) had another promising year ended by an injury, going down after just seven games with a season-ending knee injury. Without him, more was put on rookie sixth-round choice Devin Neal and forced the Saints to end the year with backs that weren’t on any roster even at mid-season after Kamara went down. Unfortunately, the team also didn’t get much from Taysom Hill, who had only 114 rushing yards and a lowly 2.2 per carry while looking like a mere shadow of his former self.

Neal had some nice flashes before landing on injured reserve himself. A bulldozer of a back, he showed some solid vision and acceleration while picking up 206 yards in mostly a four-game stretch. His two touchdowns made him the only New Orleans back to have multiple scores. Neal’s added ability as a pass blocker makes him a strong candidate as a complementary back for 2026.

Audric Estime was pressed into heavy duty because of injuries after being signed in late October. Estime had 198 rushing yards, with 157 of those coming in the last two weeks. His 4.3 per carry average was the highest among all Saints backs. Estime had a career-high 94 rushing yards in Week 17 at the Titans, the second best production for the Saints this season. He seemed to be a better fit for Kellen Moore’s rushing attack than even Kamara. Depending on what New Orleans does at this position during the offseason, Estime could have a significant backfield role next year.

Even more than injuries in the backfield, a major reason for the Saints struggles to run the ball was the putrid performance of the offensive line. Tackles Taliese Fuaga and rookie first round pick Kelvin Banks were close to outstanding. However, Fuaga also missed four games and the interior blocking was often so bad that the Saints couldn’t establish much off-tackle.

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Center Erik McCoy was out for the year after seven games. Luke Fortner was a decent replacement, but guard play was abysmal. Whether it was starters Cesar Ruiz and Dillon Radunz or backups, the Saints had two major holes in the middle that crippled their attack. This is a spot that needs a major upgrade this offseason.

Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough did some great things despite the absence of a running attack. For the Saints to be a better offense in 2026, they must run the football better. In order to do this, they’ll not only need new blockers in the middle but also some new faces in the backfield next season.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Rookie QB Tyler Shough was struggling Saints run game’s saving grace