Developing a more productive rushing attack is going to be one of the biggest goals of the New Orleans Saints’ 2026 season. Doing so will help the team better support its young quarterback and will allow head coach Kellen Moore to fully realize his offense.
The offseason acquisition of running back Travis Etienne Jr. will go a long way in ensuring the run game reaches new heights.
Etienne’s 23 carries of 20 or more rushing yards in the last four years matches the entire Saints team in that same span. New Orleans has only seen eight such rushes come from running backs.
The Louisiana native will add home run potential back to the Saints’ ground game but will also give New Orleans another reliable ball-carrier to lean on consistently.
New Orleans averaged just 3.7 yards per carry last year, No. 31 in the NFL. Etienne averaged 4.3 in 2025, more than a half-yard better per carry.
He also brings another receiving option to the backfield, coming off of a very productive season as a receiver. Etienne cashed in six of his 36 receptions for touchdowns in 2025. That gives quarterback Tyler Shough not just someone to help take the pressure off by producing on the ground, but a highly impactful receiving option as well.
The better Etienne contributes in his first year with the Saints, the better the overall offense can perform. A productive season from the back means the team likely ran to hold leads, controlled the clock, managed game situations well and limited the need for heroics elsewhere on offense.
On top of it all, the back could give the Saints their first 1,000-yard rusher in nearly a decade.
From the offense and rushing attack to the quarterback and volume milestones, Etienne is set to be one of the most impactful and important Saints in 2026.
