METAIRIE, La. — Here’s the bright side: If any team is equipped to handle a No. 1 running back getting hit with a four-game suspension, it’s the New Orleans Saints, who have two No. 1 running backs.

Of course, Mark Ingram’s suspension for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances is not an ideal scenario for the Saints, who loved their one-two punch of Ingram and Kamara last season. New Orleans mixed the two almost interchangeably in the run game, passing game and short-yardage game.

They became the first duo in NFL history to each surpass 1,500 yards from scrimmage in a season, with both of them scoring at least 12 touchdowns and making the Pro Bowl. They were a huge reason the Saints boasted the No. 2-ranked offense and led the league in rushing touchdowns and yards per rush.

But Kamara sure looks like a guy who can handle being both 1A and 1B while Ingram is sidelined for the first four weeks of the 2018 season. The NFL’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year showed he could do a little bit of everything last season, as he racked up 728 rushing yards, 826 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns.

Even the Saints admitted that Kamara was a better between-the-tackles runner than they expected while he averaged a whopping 6.1 yards per carry. By the end of the season, Kamara began to take on slightly more of the workload than Ingram.

We discussed those evolving roles at last week’s ESPN Fantasy Football rankings summit, where we collectively ranked Kamara sixth among running backs and Ingram 14th.

Obviously, they’ll be heading in two different directions on that list now. The bigger question is whether the disparity will become permanent.

Ingram’s suspension comes at a critical time in his career. Not only is he trying to prove he can still run step for step with the NFL’s newest superstar running back, but he is also heading into the final year of his contract.

The NFL Network reported that Ingram has not been participating in the Saints’ offseason conditioning program so far. Earlier this offseason, he switched from longtime agent Joel Segal to new agents Paul Bobbitt and David Jones. It’s unclear whether that means Ingram is angling for a lucrative contract extension before the season kicks off. If so, this suspension won’t help his case.

I certainly don’t expect Ingram to wind up in the Saints’ ‘doghouse.’ The former Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft pick has been widely respected by teammates and coaches throughout his seven-year career in New Orleans, especially for the way he handled his smaller role in a crowded timeshare when things weren’t going great early in his career.

But even a guy as beloved as Ingram might feel like a luxury item if Kamara proves that he can be a true leading man in Ingram’s absence. One way or another, this suspension is a huge letdown at this stage of Ingram’s career after he had worked long and hard to establish himself as one of the NFL’s best running backs following early struggles.

The NFL Players Association on Monday filed two claims on behalf of former San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid, a 26-year-old unsigned free agent who believes that teams are refusing to sign him because he has protested during pregame national anthem ceremonies.

The actions taken by the NFL players’ union Monday are separate from the collusion grievance Reid and his attorney Mark Geragos filed against the NFL last week.

Monday’s filings by the NFLPA included a noninjury grievance specific to Reid’s free-agent visits and a more general “system arbitrator case” alleging that any team that asks prospective signees whether they plan to protest during the anthem is engaged in bad-faith negotiation.

“Prior to the start of the current NFL off-season, our Union directed the agents of free agent players who had participated in peaceful on-field demonstrations to collect, memorialize and report any relevant information about potential violations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by teams,” the NFLPA said in a statement announcing the claims Monday.

The union’s statement lists five bullet points as justification for the claims:

• “There is no League rule that prohibits players from demonstrating during the national anthem.”

• “The NFL has made it clear both publicly and to the NFLPA that they would respect the rights of players to demonstrate.”

• “The Collective Bargaining Agreement definitively states that the League (NFL) rules supersede any conflicting club rules.”

• “According to our information, a club appears to have based its decision not to sign a player based on the player’s statement that he would challenge the implementation of a club’s policy prohibiting demonstration, which is contrary to the League policy.”

• “At least one club owner has asked pre-employment interview questions about a player’s intent to demonstrate. We believe these questions are improper, given League policy.”

The statement does not mention a specific team or teams in connection with the final two points, but it has been reported that Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown asked Reid during his visit with the Bengals whether he planned to continue protesting during the pregame national anthem. Reid, who joined with former 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick in 2016 when the latter began his protests of social injustice during the anthem and continued them last year, said earlier this offseason that he didn’t plan to continue the protests.

Taking into consideration recent domestic and continental results, along with underlying stats, we try to figure out which clubs are among Europe’s elite.

1. Barcelona (1st in La Liga)

Previous rank: 2nd

The champion of Spain still has plenty to play for as the La Liga season enters its final weeks and, despite bowing out of the Champions League in heartbreaking fashion, spirits remain high in the Catalan capital. Barcelona secured a vital point Sunday against Real Madrid in a match that saw Ernesto Valverde’s side reduced to 10 men. The club now enters the last three matches without a blemish in the loss column, and avoiding defeats in the final weeks will see Barcelona become the first Spanish team since the 1930s to finish the season unbeaten.

2. Bayern Munich (1st in Bundesliga)

Previous rank: 1st

Although the Bundesliga title race officially – and mercifully – ended last month, Bayern Munich has continued to steamroll the competition in Germany’s top flight. Bayern thumped Eintracht Frankfurt – whose manager, Niko Kovac, will succeed Bavarian boss Jupp Heynckes next season – before cruising past 2. Bundesliga-bound FC Koln. The positive results, however, were overshadowed by Robert Lewandowski and his frustration at Heynckes’ decision to substitute him, as the Polish striker’s attention has shifted toward padding his stats.

3. Manchester City (1st in Premier League)

Previous rank: 3rd

Perhaps Manchester City players were thinking about Sunday’s post-match festivities, as Pep Guardiola’s men produced a rare goose egg when they failed to find cracks in Huddersfield’s organised back line in a scoreless affair at the Etihad Stadium. Regardless, spirits were high after the final whistle in anticipation of captain Vincent Kompany hoisting the Premier League trophy. Now the celebration is over, City will surely look to put the finishing touches on a historic season by breaking numerous Premier League records over the next two matches.

4. Juventus (1st in Serie A)

Previous rank: 9th

A seventh successive Scudetto is well within Juventus’ reach after following up a dramatic victory over Inter with an encounter with Bologna that appeared difficult to win until substitute Douglas Costa put his mark on the game with a pair of decisive assists. The victory, combined with Napoli’s badly-timed dip in form, virtually ended what was the tightest title race among Europe’s top five leagues.

5. Real Madrid (3rd in La Liga)

Previous rank: 5th

With the title race over, Zinedine Zidane didn’t appear to be bothered with the outcome of Real Madrid’s match with Leganes, opting to rest his stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos. Regardless, Madrid’s “reserves” produced a victory before a draw with Bayern resulted in the club progressing to the Champions League final for a third successive season.

6. Liverpool (3rd in Premier League)

Previous rank: 8th

It’s difficult to dampen the euphoria of reaching the Champions League final, but Liverpool found a way Sunday when Jurgen Klopp’s side fell to Chelsea in a match that could have further solidified the team’s top-four position. Despite the loss, Liverpool next takes on Brighton & Hove Albion in a relatively comfortable fixture that should secure the team’s place in next season’s Champions League. Even if the Reds stumble on the final day, a win over Madrid will do the trick and secure Liverpool’s berth in next season’s tournament.

7. Roma (3rd in Serie A)

Previous rank: 10th

It wasn’t pretty, but Roma followed up the heartbreak of losing in the Champions League semi-finals by grinding out a narrow victory over Cagliari, helping separate the capital city club from its rival, Lazio. With four points between Roma and fifth-place Inter, Eusebio Di Francesco’s side will be desperate to collect points after next week’s encounter with Juventus.

8. Paris Saint-Germain (1st in Ligue 1)

Previous rank: 4th

Neymar can’t return fast enough, as Paris Saint-Germain produced its second straight lackluster result, following up last week’s draw with Guingamp with an equally disappointing stalemate Friday against Amiens. It’s hardly anything to worry about considering PSG was crowned Ligue 1 champion last month, but, with Real Madrid reportedly targeting the Brazilian this summer, the club needs to do a better job of convincing him to stay after its string of underwhelming performances.

9. Lyon (2nd Ligue 1)

Previous rank: 11th

There seemingly isn’t a team in Ligue 1 that can beat Lyon these days after Les Gones recorded their eighth consecutive league win by dismantling Troyes on Sunday. There’s still plenty of work to do in the final two matches, as the club will need results against Strasbourg and Nice in order to maintain its place in second, which ensures an automatic berth in the Champions League.

10. Manchester United (2nd in Premier League)

Previous rank: 6th

What a difference a week can make. After Marouane Fellaini’s dramatic game-winner saw Manchester United collect three points in Arsene Wenger’s final appearance at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho placed blame on his fringe players, holding them responsible for Friday’s dismal performance against Brighton. Despite the team’s improvement this season compared to the 2016-17 campaign, the Portuguese manager certainly doesn’t appear to be satisfied ahead of a summer that could include a major overhaul as United attempts to close the gap on City.

11. Atletico Madrid (2nd in La Liga)

Previous rank: N/A

Perhaps Diego Simeone’s men have shifted their attention toward the Europa League final. The Wanda Metropolitano had been an impenetrable fortress after seeing the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid fail to secure a win at Atletico Madrid’s new home this season. That all changed Sunday, though, when Espanyol, which sits 32 points back of Atletico and 15th in La Liga, produced a stunning 2-0 victory to end Los Rojiblancos’ 17-match unbeaten run in the league in their new stadium.

12. Chelsea (5th in Premier League)

Previous rank: N/A

Don’t look now, but Chelsea has quietly put together a string of impressive performances that have quelled the perceived panic at Stamford Bridge. Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool was the team’s third straight clean sheet and increased Chelsea’s unbeaten run to six matches since a home loss to Tottenham on April Fool’s Day. The victory also keeps the Blues within punching distance of the top four, as Chelsea will need to produce results against Swansea and Newcastle and hope Liverpool stumbles for a chance to qualify for the Champions League next season.

13. Marseille (4th in Ligue 1)

Previous rank: N/A

The joy of Rolando’s goal that sent Marseille to the Europa League final was followed by a massive victory over Nice that kept Les Olympiens within shooting distance of AS Monaco for the final Champions League spot in Ligue 1. With a pair of matches remaining, Marseille will hope a berth in the continental competition isn’t reliant on a victory over Atletico in the Europa League final later this month.

14. FC Porto (1st in Primeira Liga)

Previous rank: N/A

For the first time in five seasons, FC Porto is the champion of Portugal. The club didn’t even have to take the pitch to clinch the Primeira Liga title, as Benfica’s goalless draw with Sporting CP saw Azuis e brancos collect their 28th top-flight crown.

15. Napoli (2nd in Serie A)

Previous rank: 7th

It’s been a week to forget for Napoli fans. Despite still technically having a shot at ending Juventus’ Serie A dominance, a stunning 3-0 loss to Fiorentina was followed by further misery. Torino did its neighbour a massive favour by scoring late Sunday to produce a 2-2 draw to all but end the stumbling Neapolitan club’s hopes of winning the league.

On the cusp: Tottenham, Arsenal, AS Monaco, Lazio, Inter, Lokomotiv Moscow, Celtic

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)