New Orleans Saints (Last Year: 5-12)
2025 NFL Season Preview:
Veteran Additions:
WR Brandin Cooks, G Dillon Radunz, C Will Clapp, DT Davon Godchaux, CB Isaac Yiadom, S Justin Reid.
Early Draft Picks:
OT Kelvin Banks, QB Tyler Shough, S Jonas Sanker, DT Vernon Broughton, CB Quincy Riley, LB Danny Stutsman. Saints Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
RB Jamaal Williams, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, G Lucas Patrick, DE Payton Turner, LB Willie Gay, CB Paulson Adebo, S Will Harris.
2025 New Orleans Saints Offense:
When the Saints signed Derek Carr to a large contract two offseasons ago, 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 got hurt in his second year and then eschewed shoulder surgery in favor of retirement.
The Carr era is over, so the Saints will move on with one of two young quarterbacks this year. Spencer Rattler, chosen in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, struggled last season, but never really got a fair shake because he barely played with Chris Olave and dealt with poor blocking. Rattler has plenty of talent and could improve this year. Then again, he may never start because second-round rookie Tyler Shough will push for the starting job. Shough also has plenty of talent, but could never put it together during his long, injury-plagued collegiate career.
Whether it’s Rattler or Shough, New Orleans’ quarterback will have better protection than last year. This is because the Saints used their first-round pick on Kelvin Banks to improve the left tackle situation. Tallies Fuaga will be stationed at right tackle, which is his more natural spot. Banks is only a rookie, but he and Fuaga have a chance to be one of the better tackle tandems down the road.
New Orleans’ current best offensive lineman plays center. That would be Erik McCoy, who was one of the top centers in the NFL last year when he was healthy. This was uncommon, however, as McCoy was able to play just seven games. He’ll be flanked by Cesar Ruiz and one of Dillon Radunz or Trevor Penning. Ruiz is a solid player and the best of the three guards. Radunz was rather pedestrian for Tennessee last year, while Penning is a failed tackle who will be looking to make the move inside.
Rattler or Shough should have decent enough protection to allow them to find their receivers downfield. This will be Chris Olave primarily, as young and bad quarterbacks tend to lock into their No. 1 weapons. Olave is very talented, but has an extensive concussion history that could cause him to miss some games. If that happens, the speedy Rashid Shaheed will have to replace him as the top receiver on the team. Tight end Juwan Johnson would become more involved, though he has never lived up to expectations. Do-everything “tight end” Taysom Hill would be a factor as well, but he’s coming off a late-season torn ACL.
Alvin Kamara, meanwhile, will be counted on to be more productive. Kamara rushed for 950 yards and caught 68 passes for 543 receiving yards last year. He could continue to be a dynamic threat out of the backfield, but he’s now 30, so there could be some regression. There isn’t much behind Kamara. In the event of an injury, it would be either the underwhelming Kendre Miller or sixth-round rookie Devin Neal.
2025 New Orleans Saints Defense:
The Saints have been able to lean on their strong defense for nearly the past decade. Prior to 2024, they’ve ranked 17th or higher in yards allowed, and they were in the top seven in that category in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Things have completely fallen apart for them recently, however, as they ranked 30th in yards surrendered in 2024.
A diminished pass rush is one reason New Orleans’ defense has declined. The Saints have had the great Cameron Jordan on their roster to put heavy pressure on the quarterback, but he’s now a 36-year-old who is a shell of his former self. He logged just four sacks last year, and yet he was fourth on the team in sacks, with no one logging more than Bryan Bresee’s 7.5. There were two edge rushers who notched 5.5 sacks, with Carl Granderson and Chase Young accumulating that amount. New Orleans did nothing to strengthen this area, so rushing the passer will still be a challenge.
Things are better in the interior of the defensive line, where Bresee resides. The question is, which pedestrian player will start beside him? Khalen Saunders had some nice moments last year, but was below average overall. And yet, Saunders might be the best option of the bunch, though it remains to be seen how third-round rookie Vernon Broughton will perform. Also, Davon Godchaux was signed over from New England, but he isn’t a good player either.
Another problem for the Saints was their cornerback play in the second half of the season once Marshon Lattimore was traded to the Redskins. Covering opposing receivers became a huge problem for anyone not named Kool-Aid McKinstry, who had a decent rookie campaign. With Paulson Adebo gone, some cornerbacks will have to step up to become solid starters. Isaac Yiadom, acquired in free agency, isn’t very good, while nickel corner Alontae Taylor is much worse. New Orleans’ best hope here is fourth-round rookie cornerback Quincy Riley.
Speaking of rookie defensive backs, the Saints used a third-round choice on Jonas Sanker to perhaps eventually challenge Tyrann Mathieu for a job. Mathieu has been a long-time play-maker for New Orleans, but he showed regression last year as a 32-year-old. Now 33, Mathieu could decline even further, leaving Justin Reid as perhaps the only viable player at safety. Reid is coming off a strong season with the Chiefs, so he’ll be a much-needed upgrade.
Rounding out the defense, the linebacking corps remains mostly unchanged with Pete Werner and Demario Davis returning as the starters. This is easily the strength of New Orleans’ poor defense. Davis, in particular, has been a special player. However, he’s now 36, so a near-term decline is almost certain. To counter this, the Saints used a fourth-round pick on Danny Stutsman.
2025 New Orleans Saints Schedule and Intangibles:
The Saints were 72-40 at home this past decade-plus, including 43-28 in the previous seven years. However, they’ve suffered some horrible losses at home in the playoffs.
Blake Grupe replaced Wil Lutz as the team’s kicker two years ago. Grupe hit 27-of-31 field goals, including 6-of-8 beyond 50 in 2024.
Undrafted rookie Matthew Hayball was New Orleans’ punter last season. Hayball finished 28th in net punting, but was amazing at pinning the opposition inside the 20.
The Saints have some winnable games against the Cardinals, Seahawks, Giants, Patriots, Bears, Dolphins, Jets, Titans, and the Panthers twice.
2025 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.
2025 New Orleans Saints Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
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Projection: 2-15 (TBA in NFC South)
2024 Projection: 4-13. 2024 Actual Result: 5-12.
2023 Projection: 6-11. 2023 Actual Result: 9-8.
2022 Projection: 7-10. 2022 Actual Result: 7-10.
2021 Projection: 5-12. 2021 Actual Result: 9-8.
2020 Projection: 13-3. 2020 Actual Result: 12-4.
2019 Projection: 9-7. 2019 Actual Result: 13-3.
2018 Projection: 13-3. 2018 Actual Result: 13-3.
2016 Projection: 8-8. 2017 Actual Result: 11-5.
2016 Projection: 6-10. 2016 Actual Result: 7-9.
NFL Draft Team Grade: B- Grade
Goals Entering the 2025 NFL Draft: The Saints’ plans radically changed in the wake of the Derek Carr news. Carr may miss all of 2025, so the Saints finally find themselves in rebuild mode, which should have been the case years ago. The team will likely give Spencer “The Silver Snake” Rattler a chance to prove himself, so quarterback can wait until next year if the Silver Snake fails. In the meantime, the Saints must address the trenches. Their offensive line is in shambles, while their pass rush was very lackluster last year. Cornerback also happens to be a big position of need.
2025 NFL Draft Accomplishments: Kellen Moore made it very clear that he’s not a believer in “the Silver Snake” by using a second-round pick on Tyler Shough despite Shedeur Sanders being available. Shough has great tools, but he’s old and has never put them together on a consistent basis. Perhaps Moore can get the most out of him. Either way, I can understand why the Saints took a gamble on Shough, though I am not as bullish on the decision.
I’m more optimistic about the Saints’ ability to protect Shough. That’s because they used the ninth-overall pick on Kelvin Banks. The Texas lineman will start at left tackle, allowing Tallies Fuaga to move to his more natural right tackle spot. Having a talented duo of tackles will give Shough the best chance to develop.
While the Saints didn’t find any new weapons for Shough until the final rounds, they at least tried to strengthen the defense. I wasn’t very high on Vernon Broughton and Jonas Sanker, but the Saints made better value choices as the weekend progressed.
I’d say New Orleans came away with a mediocre class. It will largely hinge on Shough’s success, so any believer in Shough will be higher on the Saints than this publication.
NFL Draft Individual Grades:
9. Kelvin Banks, OT/G, Texas – A Grade
It’s no surprise that the Saints passed on a quarterback. It’s also not a surprise that they drafted an offensive lineman. Ryan Ramczyk retired, so the Saints desperately needed to find a blind-side protector. Tallies Fuaga was the pick last year, but he’ll move to right tackle, which is his more natural spot. I love the Kelvin Banks pick, as it’ll give New Orleans’ next quarterback a good chance to succeed.
40. New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville – C- Grade
Oh boy. The “eVeRyThInG iS rAcIsT” crowd is going to have a field day with this one. I’m not a fan of this pick. Tyler Shough is so old that he was in my 2022 NFL Mock Draft. He has great tools, but never put it together in college, and there’s a long history of older quarterbacks not panning out. I get this pick, but I’m not a big fan.
71. Vernon Broughton, DT, Texas – C- Grade
Vernon Broughton didn’t have the best production in school, but he has a huge frame and possesses some upside. I’m not surprised that the Saints are drafting someone with major potential, but they probably could have gotten Broughton a round later.
93. Jonas Sanker, S, Virginia – B- Grade
Jonas Sanker is a safety with nice size and speed, though this doesn’t really fill a need. This is about the right range to draft Sanker, but the Saints could have gone with some players who could have helped them more than Sanker.
112. Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma – A Grade
I like Danny Stutsman as a prospect, thanks to his high instincts, which is very important for a linebacker. I thought he could definitely go on Day 2, so I like this pick for the Saints, who had to add more talent to their defense.
131. Quincy Riley, CB, Louisville – B+ Grade
The Saints acquired this pick for Marshon Lattimore, so it makes sense for them to draft another cornerback. Quincy Riley is a versatile cornerback with upside, though he’s not very tall. He makes sense in this range.
184. Devin Neal, RB, Kansas – B Grade
Alvin Kamara is always hurt, while Kendre Miller hasn’t panned out. Devin Neal could have a big role at some point this year. Draft Twitter seemed to love Neal, though I wasn’t as high on him. He’s strongly built and can accelerate quickly. I had him going around this range.
248. Moliki Matavo, TE, UCLA – B Grade
Moliki Matavo is a big tight end who could contribute with the Saints having issues at tight end. He was projected to go in the final 50 picks or so.
254. Fadil Diggs, DE, Syracuse – A+ Grade
This is a steal, as Fadil Diggs was viewed as a fourth-round prospect. Fadil Diggs has plenty of upside. His production hasn’t always matched that, but perhaps the Saints can get the most out of him.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
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