Taliese Fuaga: Saints made fixing struggling run game a priority

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Taliese Fuaga: Saints made fixing struggling run game a priority

Taliese Fuaga: Saints made fixing struggling run game a priority

Arye Pulli, Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Wed, Aug 5, 2026 ·

2 min read

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The New Orleans Saints entered the offseason knowing their running game needed to improve. Taliese Fuaga said on Monday that the offense hasn't tried to hide away from what it put on film last season.

"Obviously, last year it wasn't our best," Fuaga said after the Saints' first padded practice. "We (don't) want to put that on film."

Both Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal , the Saints' 2025 leading rushers, averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. Neither player eclipsed 500 rushing yards, due partly to injuries and inconsistent offensive line play. The Saints have responded by emphasizing a wider variety of rushing concepts under head coach and playcaller Kellen Moore. Fuaga said Moore has introduced several different rushing concepts designed to challenge the offensive line and help the unit take a step forward.

"I think Kellen's been implementing a lot of different run (plays), different schemes," Fuaga said. "I feel like a lot of it is just meant to up our game in the run game."

Evaluating the running game was difficult during the Saints' unpadded practices because defenders were not consistently bringing ball carriers to the ground. Even in pads, teams typically use a "wrap-and-release" approach during most training camp periods. Fuaga said the offensive line can still evaluate its performance by identifying where contact occurs and whether it controls the line of scrimmage.

The Saints have also added Travis Etienne Jr. to a backfield that already featured Kamara. Fuaga described Etienne as explosive and Kamara as smooth and patient, but that the offensive line's responsibilities do not change based on which running back is behind it: "We're our own thing. Whoever you put back there... we just stick to our rules and stick to our technique, and we'll be all right."

It is still early in camp, but the Saints have backed up their offseason emphasis with personnel changes. They added Etienne and veteran offensive lineman David Edwards, introducing more variety to their rushing scheme. The next step is turning those changes into quantitative results.