New Orleans Saints fans haven’t had a great time since Drew Brees hung up his cleats. Their team hasn’t returned to the playoffs or won double-digit games in each of the last three years. And ESPN has a grim forecast in their future power rankings, arguing that the Saints have the NFL’s second-to-worst projection over the next three years.
And the only team that’s in worse shape? The Las Vegas Raiders that Derek Carr just left. While it’s possible Carr could better perform in an offense playing to his strengths, ESPN ranked the Saints quarterback situation fifth-worst around the league.
Some of ESPN’s points are valid. They pointed out that the Saints are relying on an aging roster and asking a lot of past-their-prime veterans like Cameron Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu, and Demario Davis without effectively drafting and developing young players to replace them. First-round draft misses on players like Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Trevor Penning have set them back.
And ESPN correctly pointed out that the team has a leadership problem with the 31st-ranked coaching staff and 32nd-ranked front office. Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis have not continued the success their team enjoyed when Seann Payton was making decisions. Allen’s own players graded him low among his peers, and while Loomis may be the NFL’s longest-tenured general manager he’s far from its most accomplished. Loomis has taken too many swings in bold draft-day trades without making enough big hits.
Still, there are some reasons to believe things could improve — in a hurry. ESPN’s Louis Riddick had a measured take on their offseason and path forward:
The Saints have played championship-caliber defense for quite a while now, and I’m sure they will again in 2024 and beyond. The concern is the offensive side of the ball, where new coordinator Klint Kubiak must get better production out of a run game that was 31st in yards per carry in 2023 and in the bottom quarter of the NFL in explosive plays on the ground. The Saints need that run game complement to open up the passing game, especially since Carr posted the best QBR in 2023 when using play-action (86.8)
Carr excelling in Kubiak’s offense would do a lot to change the narratives surrounding this team. If he can be their quarterback for now and the future this team’s outlook is suddenly much brighter. Allen is widely seen as a coach on the hot seat, but a good year with a playoff berth could earn him a contract extension next summer. Loomis has been desperate to prove he was the reason for the Saints’ past success, not Brees or Payton, even if it means discrediting them. There’s no one who would rather see the team return to relevance than him.
And ESPN expect Loomis to be disappointed. The Saints haven’t been successful enough and the changes they’ve made haven’t been substantial enough, at least to hear ESPN’s analysts tell it. Let’s see if they’re right.
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