How do the New Orleans Saints stack up against their peers? We’ve got one idea from Pro Football Focus analyst Amelia Probst, who recently published an updated NFL power rankings ahead of the 2023 draft. With free agency slowing down and teams sending personnel on the road to scour the pro day circuit, it’s a good opportunity to take stock of all 32 teams.
And the picture isn’t very pretty for the Saints, who clocked in at No. 24. They’re coming off a season in which they struggled to win just seven games and still have heavily-criticized decision-makers in place like head coach Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr.
PFF identified Andy Dalton as the team’s biggest departure, but his absence is blanketed by their biggest addition: Derek Carr. Probst had this to say about the Saints going into draft season, talking up several of their moves in free agency:
The Saints are changing it up at quarterback, signing Derek Carr and releasing Andy Dalton. Carr is definitely an upgrade, but he is an expensive upgrade at that. He signed a four-year $150 million contract while Dalton signed for the Panthers for two years, $11 million.
Signing running back Jamaal Williams in the absence of Alvin Kamara is not an upgrade, but he has the potential to produce. A consistently solid running back since entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of BYU in 2017, Williams has produced a PFF grade above 60.0 in all six seasons in the league, and a grade above 70.0 in three of the six.
Defensive tackle Khalen Saunders is a force to be reckoned with and will replace David Onyemata on the defensive line. Saunders is built like a tree trunk at 6 feet and 324 pounds but if you put on his tape, you’ll see a guy who rarely gives up in pursuit of the ball carrier and brings a lot of energy on his limited snaps.
So the Saints are off to a good start in this offseason, but they still have a lot of work to do before some analysts are eager to put them in the playoff picture. It doesn’t help that they’re starting from a low point after an ugly 2022 campaign.
If you’re curious, the Saints ranked second-best in the NFC South in this exercise, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers very far ahead of them at No. 11. But the fallout from life post-Tom Brady spells a certain kind of doom for the Bucs, and it feels like only a matter of time before they join the Carolina Panthers (at No. 25) and Atlanta Falcons (at No. 27) behind the Saints. Hopefully New Orleans can take care of its business and stand apart from their divisional rivals.
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