The New Orleans Saints are certainly not viewed as playoff contenders heading into the 2025 NFL season, as they have a very unsettled quarterback situation and gaping holes on both sides of the ball.
As you would expect from a rebuilding team, the Saints seem to be prioritizing youth, which is why some of their veterans may not be safe before Week 1.
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Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport listed off one top cut candidate for each NFL prior to the coming season, and for the Saints, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the choice.
“Alvin Kamara is the unquestioned lead back in the Big Easy. Kendre Miller appears safely entrenched as the RB2,” Davenport wrote. “With Devin Neal and Velus Jones Jr. widely projected to round out the position group, both Edwards-Helaire and Cam Akers are former NFL starters who could be searching for new homes after cutdown day.”
Edwards-Helaire barely saw the field during his debut campaign with New Orleans last year, appearing in just two games and carrying the ball 13 times for 46 yards. With the Saints having so many other options in their backfield, Davenport is right in asserting that Edwards-Helaire is absolutely on the chopping block.
The 26-year-old has certainly not materialized like everyone hoped when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Edwards-Helaire did show some promise in Year 1, registering 803 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry while also catching 36 passes for 297 yards and a score. However, it did not take long for the LSU product to experience a sharp downturn.
The following season, Edwards-Helaire totaled 517 yards while reaching the end zone four times as a rusher, playing in just 10 games. Injuries have largely derailed him ever since, with the Baton Rouge, La. native appearing in just 37 contests over the last four seasons.
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Edwards-Helaire did manage to win a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2023, although his role was incredibly limited. That season, he logged 223 yards and a touchdown as a rusher, serving as Kansas City’s No. 2 running back behind Isiah Pacheco.
At this point, Edwards-Helaire’s NFL future is undoubtedly in jeopardy, especially if the Saints end up releasing him before the start of the season. He definitely had a strong collegiate career, racking up 1,414 yards and 16 touchdowns on 6.6 yards per attempt during his final year at LSU, but that obviously has not translated onto the professional level.
We’ll see if New Orleans ends up pulling the plug on Edwards-Helaire before long.
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