The highest-profile free agency signing of the New Orleans Saints’ offseason is set to have a major and immediate impact in 2026.
The Saints signed running back Travis Etienne Jr., adding him to a backfield already featuring a productive and versatile back in Alvin Kamara. The pair, should the Saints decide that Kamara is a part of their plans in 2026, have explosive potential as a tandem.
In either case, Etienne is set to bring something to the New Orleans run game that has been a key missing ingredient for multiple seasons now: the ability to force missed tackles.
In 2025, Etienne forced 35 missed tackles last year. Per the Fantasy Points Data Suite, that was good for No. 19 out of 49 running backs with at least 100 carries on the season. The highest-ranked Saints running back on that same last was Kamara with 21, ranking No. 35.
In fact, Etienne’s 35 would have led Saints running backs every year since Kamara had 38 missed tackles forced in 2022.
Much like missed tackles forced can be an indicator of a running back’s ability to create his own yardage, yards after contact can do the same.
Yards after contact measures the amount of yardage a running back gains after a defender has made their first contact with the ball-carrier. If a back runs for 10 yards and is contacted by the defense after the first yard of the gain, the back picks up nine yards after contact on that rush.
Last year, Etienne averaged 3.3 rushing yards gained after contact, per Next Gen Stats. Only Kendre Miller and Audric Estime passed that for the Saints last year. However, among qualified rushers, (those with more than 100 rushing attempts) Kamara was the only to make the list.
Among that list of 49 rushes, Etienne’s 3.3 yards after contact per rush finished No. T-25 while Kamara’s 3.0 tied for No. 39.
This could be one of the more promising factors in Etienne’s addition this year. His ability to bounce off of tacklers and stay up after first contact to gain more yardage is something the Saints haven’t reliably seen for some time.
Of his 1,107 rushing yards in 2025, Etienne gained 534 after contact, nearly half of his rushing yardage.
With the Saints hoping to have improved blocking up front in the run game, they should see an improvement in the yardage that can be created before contact. Add in Etienne’s ability to slip tackles and all of a sudden, the New Orleans run game could look a lot different in 2026.
