2024 NFL Season Preview: New Orleans Saints

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New Orleans Saints (Last Year: 9-8)



Season Summary:
The Saints were a Tampa Bay loss away from reaching the playoffs. While it was a disappointment that they didn’t reach the postseason, they at least finished their 2023 campaign on a strong note with blowout victories over the Buccaneers and Falcons.



2024 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
WR Cedrick Wilson, OT Oli Udoh, DE Chase Young, LB Willie Gay, LB Khaleke Hudson.
Early Draft Picks:
OT Taliese Fuaga, CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, QB Spencer Rattler. Saints Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Jameis Winston, WR Michael Thomas, TE Jimmy Graham, G Andrus Peat, G Max Garcia, DE Malcolm Roach, OLB Zack Baun, CB Isaac Yiadom, S Marcus Maye, S Lonnie Johnson.

2024 New Orleans Saints Offense:
When the Saints signed Derek Carr to a large contract last offseason, they believed they found a viable replacement for Drew Brees. Instead, Carr failed to lead the team to the playoffs despite playing in the worst division in football. Carr posted solid stats, throwing for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions, all while completing 68.4 percent of his passes. However, the numbers were hollow, as Carr struggled in clutch moments and in the red zone.

Not all the blame can be placed on Carr, as New Orleans’ offense has some glaring weaknesses. Tackle play is one of them. Former first-round pick Trevor Penning has been a colossal bust. Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is an excellent blocker, but a severe injury is likely to keep him out of 2024 entirely. There’s even talk that his career might be finished. This is why the Saints spent the 14th-overall pick on Taliese Fuaga, a versatile blocker who can play guard and right tackle. Fuaga appears to be a fine substitute for Ramczyk, but it’s never clear how a rookie will perform until he actually takes the field. What’s known is that Penning will be back as a starter because New Orleans failed to replace him, which is not good news for Carr.

If the Saints had one huge hole on the offensive line, they could get away with it. However, that’s not the case, as guard is a major problem as well. The Saints’ two guards are projected to be Cesar Ruiz and Oli Udoh. Ruiz was one of the worst starters in the NFL last year, while Udoh was a big liability for Minnesota. Center Erik McCoy is at least a solid blocker.

Receiving depth is a problem as well. Chris Olave is a fantastic player, and Rashid Shaheed is capable of making some big plays, but that’s all the Saints have at receiver. A.T. Perry, Cedrick Wilson, Equanimeous St. Brown, and fifth-round rookie Bub Means may all see significant playing time, especially if one of Olave or Shaheed gets hurt.

Running back could be a problem as well. Alvin Kamara is great when he’s 100 percent, but he tends to miss significant action. Kamara has missed 10 total games in the past three years, and his age (29) is becoming a concern. If Kamara is out again, Kendre Miller is the favorite to step into the role. Miller had a quality performance in the season finale versus Atlanta, but is largely unproven.



2024 New Orleans Saints Defense:
Given Derek Carr’s mediocrity and the issues surrounding the offensive line and receiving corps depth, New Orleans’ defense will have to carry the team in 2024. The problem is that the Saints finished with the fifth-worst pressure rate in 2023, and it could be even worse this upcoming season despite a big-name addition.

That big name is Chase Young. That was the most significant move the Saints made in free agency, and it may not matter all that much because Young has proven to be an overrated player since a slew of injuries have sapped him of his athleticism. Young is expected to upgrade Cameron Jordan, who was once a great player. Jordan, however, had just two sacks in 2023, although he still played well in run support. New Orleans’ only potent edge rusher is Carl Granderson, who logged eight sacks.

The Saints were hoping to get a better pass rush from the interior after spending last year’s first-round pick on Bryan Breese. The Clemson product logged 4.5 sacks as a rookie, but was a huge liability in run support. One of the other primary defensive tackles, Nathan Shepherd, had similar issues, and like Breese, he was able to get to the quarterback a bit with 3.5 sacks. The third defensive tackle, Khalen Saunders, was the best of the trio when it came to clamping down on the run, but he failed to register a single sack.

A poor pass rush will place lots of stress on a secondary, and it didn’t help that Marshon Lattimore was lost for the season beyond Week 10 last year. The Saints will be hoping for better luck with Lattimore, but the talented cornerback has missed extensive action over the years. This is one of the reasons why the front office spent a second-round pick on Kool-Aid McKinstry, who was a great value. He could challenge Paulson Adebo, who has been an inconsistent player throughout his young career thus far. The Saints will also be hoping for better play from slot corner Alontae Taylor, who was torched often in 2023.

There are concerns at safety as well. Tyrann Mathieu has been a dynamic player for New Orleans, but he turned 32 this offseason. He may still have one or two more strong seasons remaining, but he could regress in the near future. The other safety, Jordan Howden, is unproven. However, Howden, a fifth-round pick a year ago, showed some promise in late-season starts.

The Saints will be at their best on this side of the ball in the linebacking corps. Demario Davis is one of the top players at his position in the NFL. There’s also Pete Werner, who has performed well in the past, but is coming off a down year. The Saints acquired Willie Gay from the Chiefs as well. Gay is a liability in coverage, but can do well in run support.



2024 New Orleans Saints Schedule and Intangibles:
The Saints were 69-34 at home this past decade-plus, including 40-22 in the previous six years. However, they’ve suffered some horrible losses at home in the playoffs.

Blake Grupe replaced Wil Lutz as the team’s kicker last year. Grupe hit 30-of-37 field goals, including 6-of-9 beyond 50.

Lou Hedley finished with one of the worst net punting averages last year, but did very well when pinning the opposition inside the 20.

The Saints have some easy games within the division. Out of the NFC South, however, they have to battle the NFC East and AFC West, so their schedule is mixed.



2024 New Orleans Saints Rookies:
Go here for the Saints Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.



2024 New Orleans Saints Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks		Offensive Line		Secondary
Running Backs		Defensive Line		Special Teams
Receivers		Linebackers		Coaching