The New Orleans Saints have just pulled off a trade, sending linebacker Deion Jones to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for running back Zamir White on Sunday night, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. This was a move prompted by the injuries that are beginning to pile up in the room.
New Orleans beefed up their backfield this offseason by investing in Travis Etienne Jr., but what was a very exciting room has quickly turned into a paper-thin one. Alvin Kamara is dealing with a knee issue, Devin Neal suffered another hamstring injury and Audric Estime has been banged up. With Kendre Miller, Ty Chandler and CJ Donaldson as the remaining backups, New Orleans decided to go find more help.
White was a very exciting player in college for the Georgia Bulldogs, but he hasn't had much of a role in the NFL as a former fourth-round draft pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. One way to look at that is that he hasn't had much wear on the tires. Through four seasons, White ran the ball 198 times for 736 yards and two scores. He also added 25 catches for 152 yards as a receiver. It doesn't take much thinking to be excited about what a 6-foot, 220-pound back who ran a 4.40 40-yard dash. A similar build to what they already have in Miller.
It didn't cost much, as Jones was likely not making the roster with established backups like Jaylan Ford and Isaiah Stalbird ahead of him on the depth chart. It was a fun story to have an LSU Tiger back in Louisiana, but he didn't make much of an impact. The depth was more important at running back.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Breaking: Saints trade linebacker to 49ers, add help at running back
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