Metairie, La. — Adrian Peterson did not shy away from expressing his desire for more carries with the Saints. And with the emergence of rookie Alvin Kamara as an impressive run-threat and continued production from Mark Ingram, it was clear that Peterson wasn’t going to get those increased reps in New Orleans. So AD is off to AZ, and the Saints have one less running back to split carries between.
“You lose a running back and it kind of– as far as carries and things go– it kind of defines itself a little bit more,” Kamara said.
“Obviously it was frustrating for him to not to be able to get the reps that I think he was accustomed to getting and I think what he had hoped for and was playing for,” said Saints quarterback Drew Brees. “But again, I think this is all for the better. It allows us to move forward. It allows him to move forward with another opportunity where it looks like he’s going to get probably a significant amount of time.”
“I know he’s been wanting those carries and snaps and I feel like he’ll get a great opportunity in Arizona,” Ingram said. “I’m happy for him. He’ll get to go out there and prove to everybody what he wants to prove– that he can still do this and that he still has a lot of juice in the tank.”
But as the Saints move forward without Peterson, it’s not to say he won’t be missed and that he didn’t leave a lasting impression on his teammates. From the rookies to the veterans, Peterson was a guy they all enjoyed playing with and having in the locker room while he was here.
“I really appreciated the time with him,” Brees said. “I felt like he was a great teammate. I really loved his work ethic.”
“I mean all the experience he had, he was trying to funnel as much as he could into me,” Kamara said. “Anything I needed to know, he was an open book and I was thankful for that.”
As far as injury updates for the Saints heading into week 6, wide receiver Willie Snead and left tackle Terron Armstead were both back in action– but limited at practice– on Wednesday. They both hope to be active for the first time this season on Sunday when they host the Lions.
“Just trying to see as much as I can do every day and looking forward to Sunday,” Armstead said. “I don’t know exactly what that’ll be but I’m looking forward to it.”