Could a combination of Kellen Moore at head coach and a Ashton Jeanty draft selection revitalize the Saints? The Boise State combo may be just what they need:
Many have speculated that there has to be a way to kickstart a New Orleans Saints rebuild by trying to begin replicating what the Philadelphia Eagles have on offense, specifically their explosive rushing attack built around Saquon Barkley.
To do so, the belief is that hiring Kellen Moore (who has lifted that same Eagles offense to new heights, and who the Saints are flying into Philadelphia to interview this week) and using their first-round pick on Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty could somewhat revitalize their ground attack and give Moore something to work with. However, would this work? Do the Saints have enough firepower to pull it off?
The first thing this idea neglects is the offensive line. The Saints offensive line, even when fully healthy, can be hit-or-miss at times as it struggles to open running lanes on the interior. The Eagles offensive line is pretty flawless at that, which makes the life of Barkley so much easier at times and allows him to work just a little bit less, keeping him healthy. It sure helps that the Eagles are coached by Jeff Stoutland, arguably the best offensive line coach in the NFL.
With that said, Ashton Jeanty is a similar breed of running back: elusive, strong, and someone it takes two to three players to take down on any given attempt. With 374 rush attempts for 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, Jeanty was one of the best players in college football this past season, and ultimately finished in a tight second place for the Heisman Trophy. This level of production only comes around once in a blue moon, and pairing him up with someone who would get the best out of his playstyle is pretty spectacular. You can bet he’s on Moore’s radar given their shared alma mater at Boise State.
The other thing not accounted for that would work in the Saints’ favor is they already have Alvin Kamara, who despite a few injuries was outstanding in 2024 and had one of his better years in recent memory. Having him to compliment Jeanty’s style, and freeing up more snaps for Kamara to move out into the slot and run routes, taking some stress off of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, is a win-win for everyone involved. This also gives Moore ample weapons to work with when first installing his offense.
So, would this type of scheme even work in New Orleans? It is no doubt tough to implement, and would require some great assistant coaches to come in and work on developing each position group. But ultimately, it is one of the more cohesive plans I have seen for the Saints to be competitive, and honestly at worst it would be an extremely fun offense to watch in the meantime while the team retools and focuses on clearing the cap and building from a position of youth. Replicating another team nearly never works, but Moore and Jeanty would be a good start to the Saints building something they could call their own instead. Let’s hope they’re in the plans for 2025.
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33 Pass Block Snaps
Nolan Rucci, Penn State: 76.6
