Mark Ingram is traded to New Orleans

Mark Ingram is headed back to New Orleans.

After seven games with the Houston Texans, Mark Ingram is going back to where his career started after the New Orleans Saints traded for him on Wednesday afternoon. As of this writing, there is no word on what Houston received in the trade.

Ingram was basically the entire rushing offense and honestly deserved better than to waste away on a team that is going absolutely nowhere. Is this the first of many players to go before the trade deadline, with Deshaun Watson being next?

If Ingram is gone, it makes one wonder how the Texans’ offense is really going to work. That’s more pressure on Tyrod Taylor to move the offense, as Philip Lindsay is ineffective and David Johnson is either fumbling or falling down when he’s wide open on screen passes.

Mark Ingram leaving might open the door for Scottie Phillips

Scottie Phillips was the best running back in the preseason for Houston, and whether that’s the product of playing preseason defenses, the point still stands. The second-year undrafted running back out of Mississippi should hopefully get some playing time in an offense that desperately needs a spark.

There’s absolutely no reason for a team to carry five running backs on a roster, but if there was a guess of who was going to be moved first, it definitely was not Ingram. What’s next, Rex Burkhead being traded back to New England?

Ingram gets to head back to New Orleans and operate a dangerous one-two punch with Alvin Kamara, a do-it-all player that’s capable of having 3-plus touchdown days seemingly at the snap of the fingers.

The Texans would be wise to play Phillips and give the Texans fans something to look forward to in a season where there hasn’t been much to do so.