Mark Ingram works out with Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic

Running back Mark Ingram can't return to the New Orleans Saints until Oct. 1 while serving a four-game NFL suspension.

In his quest to be ready to hit the ground running when he returns, Ingram worked out on Tuesday at Florida Atlantic, where Lane Kiffin, a former Alabama offensive coordinator, is now the head coach.

"He wasn't allowed to practice with our team because of the new NCAA rules against that," Kiffin told Chris Low of ESPN. "But when we were done, we padded him up and put him through a workout, me and (running-backs coach) Kevin Smith. He got after it and wants to make sure he's ready to go and in football shape when he gets back with the Saints.

"It's the least I could do. We're both part of the Alabama family."

Ingram became Alabama's first Heisman Trophy winner in 2009, when the Crimson Tide won its first BCS national championship. Kiffin served as Alabama's offensive coordinator from 2014 through 2016. The Tide won its first CFP national championship for the 2015 season.

The NFL suspended Ingram for the first four games of the 2018 regular season on May 8 for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Ingram was coming off his second Pro Bowl season for the Saints. In 2017, he ran for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 58 passes for 416 yards.

Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara became the first pair of running-back teammates in NFL history to produce more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage apiece in the same season in 2017.

Without Ingram, the Saints have split their first two games, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-40 on Sept. 9 and beating the Cleveland Browns 21-18 on Sunday. Ingram will miss New Orleans' road games against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and the New York Giants on Sept. 30 before returning for a Monday night home game against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 8.

The Saints rank last in the NFL in rushing offense in 2018 with an average of 52.5 rushing yards per game. Last season, New Orleans finished fifth in the NFL in rushing offense with an average of 129.4 yards per game.

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Ingram has run for 5,362 yards and 44 touchdowns and caught 207 passes for 1,428 yards and four TDs since joining New Orleans as the 28th player picked in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Ingram ranks second in Saints' history to Deuce McAllister in career rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He needs 735 rushing yards and six TDs to become the franchise's all-time leader.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.

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