The Indianapolis Colts have to find a reliable running back for the 2015 season and former Alabama back and current New Orleans Saints performer Mark Ingram could be the answer.

This past season, the Colts ranked third overall in total offense but that was mostly due to their efficient passing attack that ranked first overall in the NFL behind superstar quarterback Andrew Luck. Their ground game was below-average all season long and finished 22nd overall, averaging 100.8 yards per game while totaling only nine touchdowns.

Indianapolis Colts running back Dan Herron. Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

It’s pretty obvious that the Trent Richardson experiment was a failure and it’s time to move on. In-house options aren’t great either. Ahmad Bradshaw (a potential unrestricted free agent) is a good veteran player that can still be effective but his snaps have to be limited while Dan Herron has shown potential but is not ready to be a feature back yet.

So what are the options for the Colts? This issue can be addressed via draft or via free agency. Indianapolis ownes the 29th overall pick in this year’s draft and that could be an intriguing place to be since both Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Georgia’s Todd Gurley, the two most hyped running backs of this class, are projected to be selected by the vast majority of NFL draft experts around that time.

Oct 5, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton during overtime of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Buccaneers 37-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

If the Colts decide to fill other needs with their first-round pick and look for a free agent tailback they should strongly consider Ingram should he not re-sign with the New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton, head coach of the Saints, praised Ingram in an interview with neworleanssaints.com reporter John DeShazier at the NFL scouting combine:

“He had a fantastic season. He’s a player that we look at and have a value for, and he’s our draft pick. He stayed healthy this year. I couldn’t be more excited to see him have this success, because you see the work behind the scenes, you see the preparation by him, you see the professionalism by him. He’s a football guy — he was at Alabama, he was in high school, and it’s good to see him have that type of success, especially a guy that you brought into the program. Now, it’s just asserting or figuring out where’s that number (money-wise) going to be for him. I’m sure if you’re Mark and you’re Mark’s agent, you’re looking closely at it. Hopefully he’s back in the black and gold, because he’s been a big part of our success offensively.”

It would make perfect sense for the Saints to bring Ingram back.

While it’s true that the four-year pro has been a disappointment in his first few years in the NFL it’s also hard to deny that in 2014 he had a really good season despite missing three games with a hand injury. The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round after they completed a trade with the New England Patriots. Last year he had his best season by far, running for 964 yards and nine touchdowns, showing versatility with an extra 145 receiving yards and earning his first Pro Bowl invitation.

However, money could be an issue. It is no secret that the Saints are in bad shape when it comes to salary cap. Getting under the cap is relatively easy but it will definitely be harder to make room for big free agent signings.

If Ingram enters the free agent market he’d be a very good fit for the Colts. He is an experienced running back in his prime who seems to have figured out what it takes to be successful in the NFL.

His development was evident last season. He is now a complete running back that thrives when given the majority of the carries. Not only he would be almost automatically the No. 1 running back in Indy since the competition he’d have to face isn’t fierce but he would be a relatively cheap signing. Even if he had one good year teams won’t forget his previous struggles so Ingram will likely get paid less than guys like DeMarco Murray, C.J. Spiller or Adrian Peterson – IF he comes back.

Can you imagine what Andrew Luck could do with a true No. 1 running back behind him?