Veteran running back Alvin Kamara is a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, former Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017, and a bona fide franchise legend for the New Orleans Saints. Despite all of this, he seems to be involved in trade rumors year after year.
The soon-to-be 31-year-old is over five years removed from his elite 21-touchdown season in 2020 and an 18 TD campaign in 2018. In 2025, he saw career lows in virtually every statistical category.
Kamara is also entering the final year of his contract, while Travis Etienne, the Saints’ star addition in free agency, is beginning the first year of a 4-year, $47M deal.
Between his age, the contract, the production decline, and the arrival of a new, expensive stud at the position, the trade rumors are more rampant than ever; my question is, could this open the door for the Dallas Cowboys to bring him in this year? The rumors are definitely there, so let’s talk about why the answer could be yes.
The reason why Cowboys fans are still talking about potential running back additions is this: the front office did not address the position at all this offseason, despite the expectation that they’d bring in a clear RB2 behind Javonte Williams.
We saw this become a bit of an issue in 2025 when guys like Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue had to step up in the offense; both had their moments, but it seemed like a spot they could improve on.
In 2026, the running back room is quite literally the same, with Williams up front, and Davis, Blue, and 2025 rookie Phil Mafah poised to fight for the top backup spot.
Yes, one (or all) of those options could step up and show there is no need for an addition, but if they don’t, or even worse, if Williams gets injured at some point, the RB room will get pretty shaky in a hurry.
Why not be proactive instead of reactive, considering that fact?
Naturally, there is a question of why Kamara, even if you agree that Dallas needs to go out and find another body to bring into the RB2 competition. The answer is lying in plain sight on the Cowboys’ coaching staff.
Derrick Foster, Dallas’s running back coach, did a fantastic job in 2025 with Williams, and actually helped Kamara reach a career-high of 950 rushing yards as the Saints’ RB coach in 2024.
The Dallas Cowboys are hiring Derrick Foster as their new RBs coach, multiple sources tell @startelegram.
Foster, 38, served the same role for the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021-2023, overseeing Austin Ekeler’s rise.
An important hire for… pic.twitter.com/y3U2vlz28A
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) February 3, 2025
That year came in the midst of everybody saying Kamara was about...
