By Ross Jackson
A concerted effort to rely on and improve the run game is evident for the New Orleans Saints.
With new head coach Kellen Moore in charge, his history of effective rushing attacks brings exciting potential for Saints running back Alvin Kamara and Moore’s two young quarterbacks who would benefit greatly from a consistent and productive run game.
On their way to getting this done, one metric will be very important to advance from last year’s approach
Yards Before Contact
This stat tracks the number of yards gained by a ball carrier before a defender makes contact with them. This is often perceived as an offensive line focused stat. When blockers win in the trenches, they have the ability to reset the line of scrimmage by moving defensive linemen off of their spots and upfield, giving running backs a clearing of a couple yards before crossing into the congestion of defenders.
The Saints Were Good, But Could Be Great
Per Pro Football Reference, the Saints tied for No. 13 in yards before carry last year with 1,107. Their ranking leapt to T-No. 11 on a per attempt basis.
While those rankings are respectable, Moore can bring some improvement here. The Philadelphia Eagles built and fielded one of the, if not the, best offensive lines in football last year. Philadelphia led the league with 2,011 yards before contact and ranked No. 2 in per-carry average of the same stat.
If the Saints can get health and consistency with the offensive line, which is expected, this could be one of the most impactful improvements of the 2025 season.
