NFL Notebook: 2025 New Orleans Saints Preview
The Saints opened last season with playoff hopes—and 91 points in their first two games seemed to justify them. Then it all came crashing down. Quarterback Derek Carr got hurt and ultimately retired. The Saints lost seven straight. Head coach Dennis Allen got fired. Now, the franchise looks to pick up the pieces as they continue the search for the first postseason berth of the post-Drew Brees Era.
QUARTERBACK CHAOS
I generally resist the “all about the quarterback” thinking that drives most of NFL media, both mainstream and in the alternative spaces. Football has too many moving parts to make anything that simplistic.
That said, quarterback is the one position you can’t be terrible at and still coach around. You at least need functionality. And I see no evidence that New Orleans will get to even that minimum threshold this season. Spencer Rattler showed nothing last year, and the Saints may end up turning to second-round draft pick Tyler Shough.
New head coach Kellen Moore, fresh off running the offense for a Super Bowl champ in Philadelphia last year, inherits a vastly different situation in the Bayou.
A THIN SUPPORTING CAST
Nor do Rattler or Shough have much in the way of weapons. New Orleans signed Brandin Cooks at receiver, bringing the 12-year veteran back to the place he began his career in 2014. But Cooks spent a lot of last year injured and his best days appear behind him. Chris Olave is adequate, but no one that’s going to carry a young quarterback. Rashid Shaheed is an elite return man, but a much bigger question mark as a slot man.
At least the Saints still have the ever-reliable and versatile Alvin Kamara, who ran for 950 yards a year ago and led the team with 68 receptions. The offensive line, while not perfect, isn’t bad, and adds first-round draft pick Kelvin Banks at left tackle. If the quarterback situation could stabilize, there might be enough here to be mildly competitive. Maybe.
DEFENSIVE CRACKS
The 3–4 defense is built around linebackers—and here, New Orleans actually has a solid quartet. Pete Werner and Demario Davis are both excellent on the inside, Chase Young can rush the passer, and Carl Granderson grades out high at Pro Football Focus on the opposite edge. The safety positions, led by Justin Reid, are also in good hands, making New Orleans strong up the middle.
Here again though, the problem areas are big problems. The front three is terrible, meaning it will be difficult to tie up blockers and free the linebackers to do their thing. And corner? The graders at PFF evaluated 116 NFL cornerbacks last season. New Orleans starter Alontae Davis ranked #116.
OUTLOOK
With a posted Over/Under win total of 4.5, betting markets see the Saints as the worst team in football. I won’t reach a definitive conclusion until we cover everyone, but this is the 14th team preview I’ve written thus far, a group that includes Cleveland and Carolina, and the New Orleans situation looks the bleakest.
Here’s the upside. The good people of New Orleans can spend their Saturdays watching local hero Garrett Nussmeier play quarterback for LSU, or Arch Manning, whose grandfather and namesake once starred for the Saints, lead Texas. Either of those could be the #1 pick in next year’s NFL draft, and that’s a “prize” New Orleans could well be holding.