As the general manager of the New Orleans Saints, I'm pretty proud of what I've been able to accomplish so far in this GML season. With the absence of an elite presence at the quarterback position, the team will need some needed depth in other departments. I acknowledge that. With the obvious obstacle that the Saints had the worst cap problem in the NFL, I had to bring in young, cheap talent. At the age of 36 and counting $26.4M towards the cap, Drew Brees became a cap casualty. Bringing in Gio Bernard, Darqueze Dennard, Mohamed Sanu, a 2nd & 4th was enough for me to say yes. But since Brock Osweiler, Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez (who was the best free agent QB on the market in my opinion) are not elite talents, the approach is going to run the ball a lot more than usual in New Orleans. In order to do that, you need a stable. Runningbacks tend to wear out the quickest and it's always good to have depth (unless you have AP). I believe the depth chart is going to look like this but in order to keep the roster at 53 guys, one or two of these guys may get the axe. But for now, the plan is to keep all 6. 1) RB Mark Ingram $8,958,836 ($8,958,836) 2) [T] RB Giovani Bernard $1,432,729 ($1,100,306) 3) RB Khiry Robinson $585,334 ($334) 4) [FA] RB Vick Ballard $560,000 ($560,000) 5) [T] RB Trent Richardson $3,184,062 ($3,184,062) 6) [FA] RB Ray Rice $510,000 ($0) At number 1, its Mark Ingram. He's the bruiser and will compliment Gio's style very well. The only reason I felt like applying the transition tag was becuase I saw how much other GM's were spending on certain players and I wanted to ensure he would remain a Saint. Giovani comes in from the Drew Brees trade, and he will look to compliment Ingram. These two backs will be the primary 1-2 punch. Khiry Robinson has shown great potential as a starter when needed. He remains as the number #3 guy. Vick Ballard had a solid rookie season with the Colts but has been plagued with Injuries ever since. I'm willing to give the guy a chance as he has flashed potential in the past. Trent comes in via Trade from the Chargers. Formerly the 3rd overall pick in 2012, he's been a dissapointment to say the least. But, I may be one of a small few who has one last ounce of hope that he can contribute to a team. I've placed him at #5. If he wants to prove to me that he can play and that he can be a team player, work your way up the depth chart and show me. And lastly, Ray Rice. Yes he hit his wife. I don't condone his actions. But I'm building a football team and I want to win. He made a mistake and guess what, she still married him. Let's move on. Ray Rice was a top 5 running back once upon a time. I still think he has some left in the tank. Same applies to him as it does to Trent. Prove to me you want to earn some playing time and work your way up the depth chart. New England has shown that they can be a dual threat, both in the air and on the ground in recent years. And all though the Patriots have Tom Brady to assist in many of their wins, they've also created somewhat of a blueprint on how to maintain a stable of runningbacks on a winning football team. I feel like every runningback on this roster has enough talent to contribute and help this team win football games. So the next time you look at my roster, no it's not a mistake that I have that many RBs lol.
I actually, like this a lot. Considering your top two guys have a bit if an injury history. Considering what the Steelers had to do in the playoffs just to have one healthy running back, to have that many capable ones is a luxury. I think I real life if that happened, there would also be Pretty healthy competition.
