New Orleans Saints Mark Ingram 2015 Free Agent Profile

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram did a whole lot of nothing in his first two seasons in the league after the team traded up in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft to select him following his illustrious college career at Alabama. Ingram scored five touchdowns in both of his first two seasons, but he also averaged 3.9 yards per carry in both years and didn’t look anything like a first-round feature back.

Ingram was pushed into the doghouse by his third season and became the subject of trade rumors, but Sean Payton and the Saints were rewarded for their faith in him after he put together three impressive performances against the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, and Philadelphia Eagles. Suddenly turning the corner in this league, the then-third-year pro finally started to run with authority, and he showed off significantly more agility than he did in his first two seasons.

Those three strong games carried over to his 2014 season, and he finally became a nationally-known name again by turning a career-high 226 carries as the team’s No. 1 back into 964 yards and nine touchdowns. Ingram averaged 4.3 yards per carry, caught 29 passes, and had four 100-yard performances on the ground in 13 appearances.

His most memorable game came against the Green Bay Packers horrible run defense, as he dismantled them to the tune of 172 yards on 24 carries for a whopping 7.2 yards per carry, trucking past everyone in sight in the upset victory that nearly turned the Saints season around. He followed that big game up with back-to-back 100-yard performances against the Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, receiving 30 and 27 carries in those games, respectively.

Ingram never had less than ten carries in any of his appearances last season, but he crossed the 20-carry threshold just four times, as the Saints once again decided to use multiple backs. Khiry Robinson also showed off plenty of skill last season, so his carries came with merit and will likely net him a bigger role next season.

While the Saints and Ingram are both interested in coming to an agreement, the prevailing belief is that the cap-conscious Saints won’t be able to meet his demands. Additionally, there’s a good chance Ingram can get more carries somewhere else and be more of a true feature back without Robinson taking touches away from him.

Running backs, unless if they are elite, will always be spelled, but Ingram could have an even bigger opportunity to shine with a team that is willing to give him more money than New Orleans can.

After a rough start to his career that nearly turned him into a memorable first-round bust at the position, Ingram quietly started to turn his career around before breaking out in a big way last season. There are concerns that he might not be consistent enough, though, since six of his 13 games came with an average of 3.5 yards per carry or less.

That said, he has shown enough skill to deserve a feature back role somewhere, because he has a nose for the end zone, would have easily put up 1,000 yards if he played in all 16 games, and put up an average of 74.2 yards per game with 4.3 YPC.

Those are all solid numbers, but they don’t mention his ability to make guys miss. That critical part of a running back’s game has become a strength now, as he was tied with Joique Bell for the 12th-most forced missed tackles on rushing plays (33), per Pro Football Focus.

Ingram has shown some ability in pass pro and can break off long runs, as his 25 runs of more than ten yards were among the top 15 totals in the NFL last season. Even though nearly half of his games saw him average 3.5 yards per carry or less, he didn’t have that many negative plays despite those mediocre-to-poor performances.Per Sporting Charts, Ingram was stuffed just 7.1% of the time, so only Marshawn Lynch and Jamaal Charles were stuffed less among backs with at least 200 carries (Mark Ingram had the seventh-lowest stuff% among backs with at least 150 rushing attempts).

All of these stats show that Ingram has turned into a complete rusher who can force missed tackles through his power and excellent cuts, break off big chunks of yardage better than most backs in this league, and avoid getting bottled up at the line of scrimmage or behind it.

Dec 28, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no doubt that Ingram will receive a solid amount of cash this offseason, but it will be interesting to see how much the New Orleans Saints are willing to give to him, especially with Robinson champing at the bit after averaging 4.8 yards per carry on 76 touches.

Robinson doesn’t have Ingram’s strength and might not be a feature back in this own right, but the Saints will likely be fine with Robinson leading a committee at the position and have both the dependable Pierre Thomas and the intriguing Travaris Cadet on the roster.

That trio of Robinson, Thomas, and Cadet should give the Saints a well-rounded trio, and it makes me believe that they won’t give Ingram as big of an offer as someone else on the open market.

There are more running back-needy teams out there, such as the Indianapolis Colts and rival Atlanta Falcons, that would love to add a feature back who can do many different things as a rusher. Ingram’s ability to score is an added bonus, and he could become a valuable piece for a contender.

While Ingram isn’t a star running back in this league, he’ll likely end up being the second-best free agent running back behind DeMarco Murray and will be just 25 when he hits the open market. This makes him a prime candidate to receive a solid contract, and there would be several suitors if he hits free agency.

Only star running backs receive big contracts, but it is reasonable to expect him to make around $4 million per year, which is a quality deal for an RB. He made just $1.8 million in base salary last year, so look for him to at least double that amount, whether it’s a contract from the Saints or someone else, such as the Dallas Cowboys, who will potentially be looking to replace Murray.

Next: Where do the Saints rank among franchises with the best QBs in history?

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