Etienne is a potential RB the Saints have been linked with.
Running back has been a highly publicised need for the New Orleans Saints, and the options are getting a bit limited. Breece Hall has been tagged by the New York Jets, and David Montgomery was traded to the Houston Texans. Although that was only two RBs off the market, it's not like there are too many top-end talents on the market.
Some players like Tyler Allgeier or Kenneth Gainwell could be good 2nd options for the roster, maybe someone to put with Alvin Kamara if he is able to bounce back after a down year, but that would drop Devin Neal in the depth chart. Besides the injury, Neal had a great rookie year, so once again, taking him out of the offense would be a mistake. So, the Saints really just need to go after a top option, and there are only two left right now.
Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker is by far the best option, but he is also the most expensive. If the money is too much for the Saints, which is understandable given their other needs, the only other franchise-level RB option is Travis Etienne.
Instead of the Walker option, Etienne could be much cheaper. Right now, the expectation is that the former Jacksonville Jaguars RB would be around $8 million per year. So, he would be a great cheaper option that could take over the RB room, allow Kamara to still have a bigger role, and keep Kendre Miller and/or Neal in the lineup.
Statistically, Etienne is a 1,000 rusher and will have some massive games throughout the season, but that's not as consistent. There were games last season where Etienne may have averaged sub-3.0 yards per carry, but there were also games where he was one of the best players on both teams. Still, this past season was among his most consistent since being drafted, which is both a good or bad thing.
In 2024, Etienne really struggled, but that was in a bad overall offense that was all over the place. It's hard to really blame him, but it is a bit of a worry that, if things go wrong (which could happen this early in the Saints' rebuild), Etienne does not have the ability to take over and carry the offense. The Saints will need to completely fix the interior offensive line before considering Etienne, because if they don't, going in this direction could be the wrong decision.