Travaris Cadet hopes to carve a niche on the Saints’ depth chart, again

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Running back Travaris Cadet returned to his original NFL home late last season. He hopes to stick around longer this year. He also knows it won’t be easy.

“It’s always been like that,” Cadet said Saturday, via Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate. “From my rookie year, when it was me, Chris Ivory, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram, Darren Sproles, and we’ve got a great group now. It’s a competitive group, but I think that’s going to bring the best out of all of us.”

This year, the other candidates are Ingram, Tim Hightower, C.J. Spiller, Marcus Murphy, and Daniel Lasco.

Cadet’s primary value comes from his knowledge of the offense and his ability to catch passes; indeed, he’s carried the ball only 21 times in a four-year career. He returned to the Saints for the last two games of 2015, catching total nine passes for 146 in a pair of wins.

That contribution to a winning vibe could help Cadet carve a niche for himself, especially with a distinctly odd vibe surrounding Spiller. Ultimately, the Saints could choose to keep Cadet instead of Spiller.

“This is my home,” Cadet said. “I was here three years before I left, and I didn’t want to leave, but sometimes the business aspect comes into play. I’m just happy to be back. I feel like it’s a great fit.”

It wasn’t a great fit in New England last year, or in San Francisco. Based on how he played in those last two games of 2015, the best fit could indeed be the No. 3 spot on the running back depth chart, with the task of catching every pass thrown his way.

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