The New Orleans Saints have Mark Ingram and CJ Spiller pushing to start for Drew Brees this offseason in OTA workouts and the team likely will use a running back by committee this year and this comes as the Saints have signed Jordan Cameron to a contract extension after trade rumors came up this winter for the defensive end.
Spiller signed a free agent deal this offseason and Ingram returned to the team after hitting the market and now the Saints may have one of the best one-two punches in the league. Both players dealt with injuries last season, but they are fully healthy in OTAs and the Saints hope they can be strong along with Khiry Robinson for Brees. Spiller may help take the role that Darren Sproles had before his trade to the Eagles, as he is a good receiver out of the backfield.
Heading into OTAs Ingram is the starter and he likely will be the top back on the depth chart for most of the season, but Spiller should contribute quite a bit as long as he is healthy. According to the Saints official website, head coach Sean Payton wants to use Spiller in "open space" to maximize his value and breakaway ability. Spiller said he wanted to sign with the Saints because of the "fit" in their offense and he is expecting to get used quite a bit by Payton.
Spiller comes in after dealing with an injury last season and he ended up playing in just nine games. Spiller finished the season with 300 yards and that was his lowest total since being a rookie. Spiller had his best season in 2012 when he had his only career 1000 yard season with 1244 rushing yards and he also added a career best 43 catches for 459 yards.
The Saints dealt with some trade rumors this offseason in the wake of the Jimmy Graham deal, but they ended up keeping Cameron Jordan and with a contract extension. According to NFL.com, Jordan signed a five year deal that could be worth up to $60 million with $33.6 million in guaranteed money. The report says that $27 million will come in the next two years and the deal means the Saints likely see Jordan bouncing back from his down season in 2014 compared to his 2013 performance. Jordan will help keep the defensive line stable moving forward.
Jordan is just 25 years old and has the potential to grow and this rate is less than what some other players at his position have been getting. The deal is good for both sides, as Jordan was mentioned in trade rumors and has been the most consistent defensive player for the Saints the past few years. Jordan has not missed a game in four seasons and he comes in after putting up nearly 20 sacks the past two years. Last season Jordan had 7.5 sacks and that came after he set a career high with 12.5 sacks in 2013. Jordan had eight sacks in 2012 and he comes in after putting up 50 total tackles last season with one fumble recovery.