[jwplayer MnGv1PHj-ThvAeFxT]
The NFL has been shaken up by the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, with summer practice sessions canceled and training camp taking on an entirely new structure. With so much disruption to manage, teams that are returning less-experienced players from last year’s roster face a steeper climb in 2020 than those squads with less roster turnover.
One of those teams in good standing would be the New Orleans Saints. The analysts at Over The Cap measured turnover by snaps played in 2019 by players still on the 2020 roster, and the Saints rank high on both offense and defense.
On offense, every starter is returning except for right guard Larry Warford (970 snaps played) and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. (607). On the other side of the ball, the same crew is back from last season with the exceptions of cornerback Eli Apple (932), safety Vonn Bell (871), and linebacker A.J. Klein (753).
Now, that doesn’t count part-time players like backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (400) and fullback Zach Line (215). But by and large, this Saints team looks awful similar to the squads that won 13 games in each of the last two years. And that’s quantified in OTC’s research.
In their breakdown, OTC has the Saints returning 81.0% of their snaps played on offense last year and 79.8% of their plays run on defense — an overall figure of 80.4%. That’s good enough to rank 9th-best in the league, behind just one other NFC playoff team from last season: the San Francisco 49ers (81.0% overall).
In fact, the only other NFC team ranked ahead of those two is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (81.3%), but there’s an important catch there. Tom Brady is taking snaps from under center now, and coach Bruce Arians is having to radically change his “no risk it, no biscuit” philosophy on offense to accommodate him. So the transition there will be more difficult than these numbers might suggest.
At the other end of the spectrum is the NFC South-rival Carolina Panthers, who are introducing first-year head coach Matt Rhule with both Cam Newton and Luke Kuechley, longtime faces of the franchise, having moved on. The Panthers are returning just 46.9% of snaps played last year, including a league-worst 35.2% on defense. They’re in for a rough time, especially with so little time to practice together.
So don’t take it for granted that the Saints have assembled such a veteran team that’s used to working together. They’re relying less on their rookies than most squads around the NFL, and have a wealth of leadership to rely on between Drew Brees, Demario Davis, Malcolm Jenkins, Craig Robertson, and other respected voices in the locker room. That makes for a world of difference on the uneven playing field we’re approaching in 2020.
[lawrence-related id=36159,36306,36278,35936]
[vertical-gallery id=36181]