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The first 24 hours of New Orleans Saints free agency taught that it pays to be one of the good guys — but it doesn’t pay too much.

The first two moves made by the Saints, the re-signing of glue guys Chris Banjo and Craig Robertson, certainly reflect that. The reported expectation of Teddy Bridgewater to return to New Orleans also does. So, too, does the decision to sign free agent running back Latavius Murray on Tuesday (March 12), effectively saying goodbye to Mark Ingram after an eight-year run with the organization.



New Orleans has had as good a shot as anyone at representing the NFC in the Super Bowl the past two seasons. Those teams have had the talent to belong in the NFL’s upper echelon, to be sure, but they also have been defined at least partly by the tight-knit community that exists in the team facility off Airline Drive in Metairie.

There are football reasons to lock up players like Robertson, Banjo and Bridgewater, but it also gives the Saints locker room some positive continuity from one successful year to what it hopes will be another.

All three of those players are admired within the organization for the value they possess outside of the white lines, and while Bridgewater has not officially agreed to a contract yet, Robertson and Banjo are affordable assurances against a dramatic shift in team chemistry.

And then there is Ingram’s case.

Ingram has played a vital role in a Saints uniform, especially since he has teamed up with Alvin Kamara the past two seasons. There is no doubt that, from a pure football standpoint, he made the Saints a better and more dynamic offense.

But, like Robertson, Banjo and Bridgewater, his importance was not fully defined by his statistics.

Take a look at the reaction from some of Ingram’s (soon to be former) teammates on social media. The Saints are not just replacing a player in Ingram, but an integral thread of the culture the Saints have created in their locker room.

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Rugby Saint II

We have Kamara who is our lightning! I never followed him, but his high lights and stats make me believe that Murray should give us solid play on the field. He looks like a good runner, blocker and receiver out of the back field. His numbers are pretty close to Ingram's overall production.

Papa Voodoo

I hope we don't go back to an O where everyone can tell run/pass by the back in the game. It got that way at the end of the season after we had used MI and AK interchangeably. We didn't save a whole lot of money and LM is only a year younger so I personally think we should have kept MI.