What Alvin Kamara’s possible suspension could mean for the Saints in 2022

The New Orleans Saints will be anxiously awaiting what kind of legal action may be levied on their star running back, Alvin Kamara in the coming weeks.

All of this stems from an alleged incident that occurred outside a local Las Vegas nightclub the night before he participated in the NFL Pro Bowl.

Following that game where Kamara caught four passes for 23 yards, he was arrested and booked by Las Vegas Police officers and taken to Clark County Detention Center. There, he was charged with felony battery where a victim named Darnell Greene reported that he had been beaten in a brawl at a club located on the 3500 Block of South Las Vegas Boulevard.

According to a Las Vegas police report, Greene told officers that he was waiting for an elevator before the incident in question occurred. A group of people, including the Saints running back, were reportedly back at The Cromwell Las Vegas Hotel and Casino at about 6:30 am local time.

When the elevator door opened, Kamara allegedly put his hand on Greene’s chest, stopping him from entering the elevator. That’s when Greene claimed he was punched and kicked by several people before losing consciousness. He later identified Kamara as one of the alleged perpetrators who battered him.

Police questioned Kamara inside the stadium following the Pro Bowl game about the alleged incident.

What could happen now?

Besides the physical damage that Greene allegedly sustained, there could be a stiff penalty for Kamara, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017.

His court case has already been postponed several times, with a hearing on the matter scheduled for August 1.

It is unlikely that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league will render a decision on any potential consequences to Kamara before we find out what transpires in court next month.

By all accounts, though, the two-time all-pro back could be suspended for up to six games, which is the minimum sentence that the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy is allowed to hand out for such incidents.

While that is traditionally the minimum penalty, there are several past NFL cases in which players received heavier penalties and some where the penalty was less than the current minimum. Jeremy Bridges of the Carolina Panthers got two games due to misdemeanour assault charges.

Adam “Pacman” Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 season for attacking a stripper and threatening a security guard’s life, but only got four games the following year for an altercation with a bodyguard.

When we talk about past Saints incidents, we can go back over a decade ago to 2012 when four players, two with New Orleans, Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma, plus Scott Fujita of the Browns and Anthony Hargrove of the Packers, were all implicated in the Saint Bounty Program.

Initially Vilma was suspended for all of 2012 because of that scandal, though his sentence was later overturned, as was Smith’s four-game suspension, along with Fujita’s three-game levy and Hargrove’s eight-game ban. The league threw the book at Josh Brent, suspending the Cowboys’ nose tackle for 10 games in a 2014 incident, and Ezequiel Elliott got six games in August of 2017 for a domestic violence case.

The Ravens, Ray Rice, was initially suspended indefinitely by the NFL in September of 2014 for domestic abuse, but his conviction was overturned two months later.

How does this impact the Saints?

Kamara turns 27 on July 25, one day before Saints veterans are scheduled to report to training camp, so many eyes will be focused on the Bayou to see if he shows up.

There is no doubt about Kamara’s impact on the Saints’ offense, as he is perhaps the most versatile weapon in the NFL.

Over his career, he’s accumulated 4,238 yards on the ground, making 373 catches for 3,263 yards and 68 touchdowns.

New Orleans’ offense, to a certain extent, revolves around him, and head coach Dennis Allen is likely working on a contingency plan should Kamara not be available in the early stages of 2022.

Kamara missed four games in 2021 with a knee injury, but still had 898 rushing yards, and was third on the team in receiving yards with 439 on 47 grabs.

However, the Saints still managed to go 4-0 without him, but they struggled offensively, averaging less than 19 points in those games, with an average of 98 rushing yards.

Having Kamara in the lineup will take a lot of pressure off Jameis Winston or Andy Dalton, whoever is the starting quarterback, but this team is not solely built around the five-time Pro-Bowl back.

Mark Ingram is a former Heisman Trophy winner, selected three times to the Pro Bowl himself, rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2019.

He has the experience and talent, though he didn’t get many touches last season with New Orleans and Houston. Michael Thomas and Juwan Johnson are two big receiving targets who are reliable and capable of making their share of plays.

Their defense features tackling machines, Pete Werner and Demario Davis, plus some veterans in the secondary like safety Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye. All of this to say that this is a team with plenty of quality depth, built to succeed.

Outlook for Kamara

I anticipate that Kamara will get six games, and I believe that Allen and his staff have prepared for that sentence already.

That being said, I still believe the Saints are a playoff team, should the core of this group be healthy this season.

This organization for years have put together numerous plans and designed systems that benefit everyone.

Yes, a breakout player like Kamara can make that extra difference. However, offensively and on defense, I still see the Saints as a successful team in 2022.

They may not be as flashy on the field if Kamara is out for a while, but in the business of winning, they should collect more wins than losses.