The Saints have made a number of changes on offense this offseason, but much of the unit’s success will still depend on running back Alvin Kamara. His availability for the 2022 campaign has been in doubt dating back to February, but there is a chance he suits up for the full season. 

Kamara was charged with felony battery for his involvement in an altercation which took place during Pro Bowl weekend. As a result, he has been expected to face a six-game suspension, which would be in line with the NFL’s personal conduct policy. A ban of that length would mark the longest absence of the 27-year-old’s career.

Not long after his arrest, it was reported that Kamara is also facing a civil suit from the incident’s victim, Darnell Greene. With court proceedings representing a potential significant delay in the league’s disciplinary process, though, the chance has existed that Kamara be eligible to play in Week 1. Since the league is strictly “monitoring” the legal process at this point, those chances are growing by the day.

Indeed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “it looks more and more unlikely” that a suspension will be handed down at least in time for the start of the regular season (video link). The possibility of a significant ban hanging over him could complicate the Saints’ RB room, which also includes Mark Ingram, Dwayne Washington, Tony Jones Jr. and Devine Ozigbo. The team was understandably reported to be on the lookout for added depth in the event of losing Kamara, but they cut Malcolm Brown last week.

Since, as Schefter adds, Kamara “may be on the field for the majority if not all of this season,” this situation is likely to remain unclear for the rest of the summer, but it will remain a key storyline surrounding the Saints.

With a six-game suspension looming, Saints running back Alvin Kamara is also facing a civil lawsuit. A source tells Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that the man who Kamara allegedly punched in Las Vegas will sue the NFL player for financial damages.

[RELATED: Alvin Kamara Bracing For Six-Game Ban]

Kamara was charged with felony battery following an altercation in Las Vegas during Pro Bowl weekend. Video surveillance showed Kamara punching Darnell Greene eight times following an argument, with Greene being knocked unconscious and sustaining an orbital bone fracture. The victim’s impending lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages based on those injuries.

Florio pointed out yesterday that the NFL’s personal conduct policy calls for a six-game suspension for felony battery. That battery charge could also land Kamara on paid leave, which would result in some roster uncertainty for the Saints as they navigate through training camp and the preseason.

For what it’s worth, Kamara quickly questioned Florio’s report on Twitter. As we’ve seen many times, these ordeals can drag out for months or seasons, so there’s no guarantee that Kamara ends up missing any games due to suspension in 2022.

The five-time Pro Bowler collected 1,337 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns in 13 games last season. The Saints welcomed back Mark Ingram last season, but the team isn’t rostering much experienced depth behind the veteran RB. Holdovers Tony Jones and Dwayne Washington could see increased reps if Kamara is out of the lineup.

A Pro Bowl-weekend fight could leave the Saints without their top skill-position player for an extended stretch. Alvin Kamara‘s February arrest put him on the suspension radar, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes the veteran running back is bracing for a six-game ban.

Kamara was arrested shortly after the all-star game at Allegiant Stadium in connection with an incident that occurred at a Las Vegas casino that weekend. The Saints running back told police he “threw a couple of punches” in a fight that also involved cornerback Chris Lammons, a former Kamara teammate (Lammons is now with the Chiefs). Kamara, 26, told police a man, Darnell Greene, called a friend of Kamara’s “ugly” and said, “I’ll whoop your ass, too.”

The perennial Pro Bowl running back said he threw punches thinking the victim was running away and that he could not remember if he punched Greene while he was on the ground. Video surveillance showed Kamara punching Greene approximately eight times and also revealed other members of Kamara’s group stomping on the victim, who was knocked unconscious and sustained an orbital bone fracture. Three of Kamara’s punches indeed came when Greene was on the ground, according to a police report. A felony charge of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm came Kamara’s way.

That may well lead to Kamara’s longest absence as a pro. It is not certain if a ban would occur this season, but that could be the case. A hearing is set for August 1. The NFL’s personal conduct policy calls for a six-game suspension for felony battery.

“We really just have to wait and see what happens,” Saints GM Mickey Loomis said during an interview on the Dattitude podcast (via NOLA.com). “For me, I always try to [determine] what’s the worst-case scenario and what’s the best-case scenario. We have to be prepared for anything. That’s really the way we approach anything and everything, is be prepared for anything that can happen.”

The Saints have Mark Ingram, set for a rare age-33 running back season, but not much in the way of depth behind Kamara. They worked out David Johnson at minicamp and hosted Sony Michel. No deal commenced with Johnson, and Michel signed with the Dolphins.

The Saints have restructured Alvin Kamara‘s contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). The revision will shift $10.465MM of the running back’s 2022 salary into a signing bonus, carving out another $8.372MM in cap space for New Orleans. Per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the club also tacked on a void year to the end of Kamara’s deal.

[RELATED: Saints Re-Sign Granderson]

It’s another step forward for the cap-crunched Saints, who previously reworked the deals of defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Tanoh Kpassagnon. All together, that’s another $22MM in breathing room for New Orleans, though they still have roughly $10MM to go between now and the start of the league year.

Kamara led the NFL with 21 touchdowns in 2020, helping the Saints stay afloat while Michael Thomas was out. Last year, as Thomas missed the entire year, Kamara’s production slipped. In 13 games, Kamara rushed for just 898 yards and four touchdowns off of 240 carries, resulting in a career-low 3.7 yards per tote average. He also added 47 catches for 439 yards and five touchdowns — a significant drop from his past four years.

The Saints still have some more cap magic on the agenda, as well as a potential long-term deal for standout safety Marcus Williams. They’re also said to be interested in big-ticket free agent Tyrann Mathieu, but it’s not clear if they’ll be able to afford him.

Alvin Kamara will miss his first game this season. The Saints will hold their top skill-position player out against the Titans because of a knee sprain.

The fifth-year running back has not been especially injury-prone during his career, having missed just four games in four-plus seasons. But Kamara has missed at least one contest in each of the past three years.

New Orleans reacquiring Mark Ingram via trade looms larger now. Ingram has played around 30% of the Saints’ offensive snaps in his two games back with the team and has logged 15 carries in that span. The 11th-year veteran is also on track to break the team’s career rushing record, a mark Deuce McAllister holds with 6,096 yards, in Tennessee. Ingram is 20 yards away from eclipsing McAllister’s Saints standard.

Kamara, whose 21 touchdowns led the NFL last season, is 4-for-4 in Pro Bowls. Kamara’s 840 scrimmage yards through eight games had him on track for a career-best number here, though his absence this week will affect that pace.

This injury news will certainly sting a Saints team that is set to start Trevor Siemian for a second straight week and one that is missing Michael Thomas. The sixth-year wideout is out for the season. New Orleans was among the many teams that failed in a bid to sign Odell Beckham Jr. this week.