The New Orleans Saints brought back another one of their own Thursday, with ESPN’s Field Yates reporting that the team re-signed running back Dwayne Washington. It’s a good depth move considering that the only other Saints running backs under contract for 2020 were Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, and former practice squad call-up Taquan Mizzell (not counting fullbacks Michael Burton and Ricky Ortiz, of course).
Washington should be penciled in to resume his place on this year’s 53-man roster based off his special teams work alone. Only two of his Saints teammates saw more snaps in the kicking game last year, with cornerback Justin Hardee (363 snaps) and linebacker Craig Robertson (325) paving the way. Washington’s 295 snaps on special teams were more than Taysom Hill (273) and second-team All-Pro J.T. Gray (285). With Washington’s return, all five of the Saints leaders in special teams snaps played are back in the fold for 2020.
In his limited opportunities on offense — largely in mop-up efforts at the end of blowout victories — Washington has recorded 35 carries for 214 rushing yards in New Orleans. He first entered the NFL as a Detroit Lions seventh-round pick back in 2016, logging 110 rushing attempts to gain 309 yards while catching 12 of 17 targets for 76 receiving yards. While the sample sizes are vastly different, it’s notable that his yards per attempt in New Orleans (6.1) has more than doubled what he averaged on the ground in Detroit (2.8).
Still, expect the Saints to bring in some competition. They’ll want to add a player to compete with Washington in training camp and the preseason, making him earn that coveted spot on the 53-man roster. And with the uncertainty surrounding Kamara’s future with the team, it shouldn’t shock anyone if the Saints end up making an even bigger investment to their offensive backfield than bringing back Washington alone.
