Is there a 9-win team drawing more criticism than the New Orleans Saints are right now? Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 rosters from best to worst, and the Saints didn’t just fall inside the back half of the league — they were all the way down at No. 24, between the 8-win Las Vegas Raiders and 6-win Tennessee Titans. That suggests they were less than impressed by the Derek Carr-led Saints.
PFF analysts Jim Wyman and Dalton Wasserman identified the Saints’ offensive line as their biggest vulnerability, expressing pessimism that 2021 first-round pick Trevor Penning can be relied on even after moving to right tackle. Here’s why they’re taking the under on 7.5 wins for the Saints in 2024:
New Orleans’ struggles in the trenches make it very difficult to project a high ceiling for the team. While they are talented at the skill positions, especially in the secondary, their lack of pass rush and pass protection could create the same inconsistency that hurt them last season. They won nine games in 2023, yet it’s difficult to find areas where they have improved heading into 2024.
It’s tough to argue with that assessment. On paper, the Saints’ pass rush should be mightily improved after signing Chase Young; but his long recovery from offseason neck surgery and the news of a torn Achilles for backup defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon sullied that outlook.
And the offensive line is what everything hinges on for the other side of the ball. Outside of Penning, the Saints are banking on rookie first-round pick Taliese Fuaga playing left tackle at a high level while second-year pro Nick Saldiveri earns the starting job next to him at left guard; both players lined up at right tackle in college, so there’s a lot of projection in that plan. The only starters returning from last year are Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy and right guard Cesar Ruiz.
At least the Saints have a weak strength of schedule that should tee them up for some winnable games. But that was the case last year. We need to see Dennis Allen’s team stack up wins and prove their doubters wrong in order to believe they can do it. They’ve run out of goodwill.
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