Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints not in talks

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram looked like a total first-round bust as late as the mid-point of the 2013 season, but he started to turn things around after taking advantage of a Sean Lee-less Dallas Cowboys defense. The best was yet to come, as he ran with authority on a rainy day against the tough Carolina Panthers front seven before looking sharp in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles. Ingram carried that positive momentum into this season, and he’s looked like a true feature back. There’s no doubt that he runs with a punishing style conducive to broken tackles, and he also shows some nice explosion and lateral agility.

Ingram has 551 rushing yards on 115 carries this season for an average of 4.8 yards per pop, and he’s putting up over 90 yards per game with three 100-yard performances and six rushing touchdowns. That kind of production is invaluable, and he’s been the most impressive player in a backfield that includes pass-catching ace Pierre Thomas and the rising Khiry Robinson.

However, it sounds like next season’s Saints backfield might feature Robinson as the main rusher, because CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora writes that it will be difficult for Mickey Loomis and the organization to re-sign him this offseason. Per La Canfora, the Saints and Ingram haven’t even been in talks during the former Heisman winner’s breakout season, and the Saints simply don’t seem to have enough money under the cap to keep him around. Most people have always expected him to hit the market, and it looks like there is very little to prevent that from happening.