Tag: Foster Moreau

Saints PFF grades: Best, worst players from loss to Commanders in Week 15

Who were the best and worst players from the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Washington Commanders according to the PFF grading system?

The New Orleans Saints have made their way to 5-9 on the season after a 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 15. This loss leaves them on the precipice of being eliminated from the playoffs for the season, and ultimately with a decent shot of a solid draft pick.

As much as the Saints wanted to get back into this game, bringing it within a failed two-point conversion of winning the game, they fell short despite some strong individual performances on the team.

The PFF grades from this week coincide well with this fact, there are some players who had exceptionally high grades, and then it falls off to be about average or below average when you get beyond the players who performed extremely well. The Saints did not perform exceptionally well all around, and this is reflected in their respective grades.

Based on the Pro Football Focus grading system, here are the best and worse players from the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Commanders:

Top 5 offense

  1. C Erik McCoy: 78.9
  2. TE Foster Moreau: 77.1
  3. WR Cedrick Wilson Jr: 74.6
  4. OT Taliese Fuaga: 72.6
  5. RB Alvin Kamara: 70.5

The Saints offensive line was very hit or miss in this game, but that was certainly not the fault of Erik McCoy or Taliese Fuaga, who both had outstanding games. McCoy came in with a whopping 91.1 run blocking grade, and Fuaga had a 90.9 pass blocking grade, with both players being near the top for the Saints. Cedrick Wilson Jr. managed a 83.0 run block grade on the day which is rather impressive as well. Kamara and Moreau both got on the list because of their contributions in the receiving game, with a 90.9 and 90.1 pass play grade respectively.

Top 5 Defense

  1. DE Carl Granderson: 87.0
  2. CB Shemar Jean-Charles: 84.9
  3. LB Demario Davis: 72.6
  4. DE Payton Turner: 71.9

T-5. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry: 71.3

T-5. LB Willie Gay: 71.3

The defense for the Saints graded out pretty well in comparison to previous weeks, especially Carl Granderson who played a total of 53 snaps and put together an 87.0 grade, leading the team. Shemar Jean-Charles was only put into the game late, with a total of 9 defensive snaps, but he was targeted once and forced a PBU so not bad all things considered. Demario Davis had an outstanding day as well, with 78 total snaps, 10 tackles, 2 pressures, a sack, and only 1 missed tackle in that span. Overall a very strong day from the defense up top.

Bottom 5 offense

  1. TE Juwan Johnson: 43.5
  2. LG Lucas Patrick: 48.0
  3. RT Trevor Penning: 49.1
  4. QB Jake Haener: 54.5
  5. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 55.0

When I mentioned the offensive line having a poor day but it not reflecting on Fuaga or McCoy, it most certainly reflected on the others, as Lucas Patrick and Trevor Penning both had grades under 50, which indicates extremely poor play according to PFF grading. Juwan Johnson was also worth noting here, considering his drops throughout the game and generally a quiet performance from him even without them. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was an interesting one given his big-time second half reception to kick off the Saints offense, and PFF did list him as a 45.1 grade on passing downs, which is interesting to say the least. Jake Haener was relatively self-explanatory, not much to speak of offensively with him and shorted out the offense when he was on the field, taking only 21 snaps in the first half before being benched for Spencer Rattler.

Bottom 5 Defense

  1. DE Isaiah Foskey: 40.9
  2. DT Bryan Bresee: 50.0
  3. CB Alontae Taylor: 51.7
  4. CB Ugo Amadi: 53.3
  5. FS Tyrann Mathieu: 58.8

Some unusual suspects on the negative end of the PFF grading system from Week 15, with three of the five players being regular starters in Bresee, Taylor, and Mathieu. Unfortunately this mostly reflects on the first half of play, where the Saints defense had trouble stopping both the run and the pass, which negatively impacted those who got tied to those plays. Bresee had a down day compared to the past few weeks, with only 3 pressures and no sacks when most of the defensive line was producing, primarily because he seemed to be taking on double teams at a high rate.

Special teams

Special teams had a somewhat middle of the road day outside the top few players, with Shemar Jean-Charles (81.0), J.T. Gray (71.2) and Zach Wood (63.9) being the only three players with grades above a 61. Most of the team resided in the range of 60 to 61 in terms of grades, however on the other end, there were some players with sub-50 grades as well. Adam Prentice (43.7), Rico Payton (40.4), Isaiah Foskey (38.1), and Payton Turner (37.4) were those who ended up on the negative side of things for special teams, and ultimately that was primarily due to penalties or missed plays.

quarterback play

The quarterback play in this game was between Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. As we previously mentioned, Haener had a 54.5 grade overall, and this was due to a 55.9 passing grade and a 57.9 rushing grade. Spencer Rattler graded out a decent clip better, coming up with a 69.0 overall grade and 68.4 passing grade. Funny enough, Cedrick Wilson Jr. came out with the best passing grade on the day, with a 74.6 offensive grade and 71.0 passing grade.

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Reacting to the New Orleans Saints’ last-second loss to Washington Commanders

There’s no such thing as moral victories in the NFL, but the New Orleans Saints did learn a lot about themselves in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders:

There’s no such thing as moral victories in the NFL, but the New Orleans Saints did learn a lot about themselves in Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders.

After initially looking like a snoozer, the game wound up being pretty dramatic once Spencer Rattler stepped into the lineup. It ended with a bold two-point conversion attempt to try and complete the Saints’ comeback. New Orleans outscored Washington 19-6 in the second half and put it all on the line with that two-point try.

It was the right decision to go for it. Their defense got away with several coverage busts ruined by dropped passes, and overtime wasn’t guaranteed to go their way. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi has nothing to lose and being aggressive made sense.

What didn’t check out was going to Juwan Johnson with the game on the line. The tight end hasn’t made a play all year and his last catch needed a booth review to see if he even stayed in bounds. He shouldn’t have been the hot read on that last play when Foster Moreau had just caught a touchdown pass and Kendre Miller was running hard.

But what’s done is done. The Saints are now 5-9. They aren’t eliminated from playoff contention but they’re close. It should be clear now that Rattler, not Jake Haener, should be their quarterback until Derek Carr is healthy enough to return to the lineup. How these final three weeks shake out is anyone’s guess, but it’s looking like the Saints will be watching the playoffs from home for the fourth year in a row.

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Saints have begun using their tight ends again under Darren Rizzi

The Saints tight ends have stepped up after injuries decimated the wide receiver corps. It’s a positive trend from Darren Rizzi’s time as interim head coach:

The promotion of Darren Rizzi to interim head coach has had its ups and downs, but ultimately the New Orleans Saints are 3-1 and the team has been able to close out most of their games. And that’s happened despite some real adversity challenging them.

With the injury to Chris Olave and previous injuries to Bub Means and Rashid Shaheed, the offense has had to find a variety of ways to succeed in the passing game, and in the last four games, that has meant heavy involvement of the tight ends in the receiving game. Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, and even Dallin Holker have each stepped into larger roles offensively.

Since Rizzi has taken over, here are the receiving stat lines for the tight ends in each game (including Taysom Hill):

  • Vs. Atlanta Falcons: 4 receptions on 7 targets for 58 yards
  • Vs. Cleveland Browns: 14 receptions on 17 targets for 130 yards and 1 touchdown
  • Vs. Los Angeles Rams: 12 receptions on 18 targets for 79 yards
  • At New York Giants: 7 receptions on 8 targets for 100 yards and 1 touchdown

The average over this span is approximately 9 receptions on 12 targets for 92 receiving yards and a touchdown every other game. In the last three of those games, two of the top three Saints receivers in yards have been tight ends as well, which was most certainly not the case pre-Rizzi promotion and Olave injury. We will see how things shake out and if this remains the case long-term, but for now they have been the focal point of the receiving game in recent matchups.

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WATCH: Foster Moreau makes must-see one-handed catch vs. Giants

WATCH: Foster Moreau makes must-see one-handed catch vs. Giants

Foster Moreau and the New Orleans Saints offense have had little issue taking care of business against a struggling New York Giants team that has been bitten even worse by the injury bug than New Orleans has.

Moreau made a one-handed grab look easy on a 2nd and 12 play from midfield late in the third quarter. As of roughly halfway through the fourth quarter, Moreau had caught a pair of passes from quarterback Derek Carr for a total of 40 yards. The former LSU tight end entered the contest with 17 catches for 223 yards with three touchdowns on the season so far.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s famous one-handed catch at MetLife Stadium has been a fixture of NFL highlight reels for most of a decade. It’s fitting that another former LSU Tiger would make a one-handed grab of his own.

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Foster Moreau discusses current record and Darren Rizzi promotion

Foster Moreau spoke in media availability about the current Saints’ record and the promotion of Darren Rizzi to interim head coach

New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau addressed the media Monday only a few hours after the news that head coach Dennis Allen would be fired and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi would take over as interim head coach. Moreau spoke on Rizzi being promoted as well as the Saints’ current record and situation during his media availability and had strong feelings towards the situation as a whole.

Regarding the record and team performance, he said, “We’re 2-7, and our head coach got fired today and I’m going to say, generally speaking, every individual has a hand in our record and performance.”

He followed up with two more quotes regarding Rizzi and the city of New Orleans, saying, “For those of you that know Darren Rizzi, he’s an unbelievable leader of men.”

“This city deserves winners. These are (redacted) tough people.”

He also discussed last week in practice, regarding it as one of their best weeks in practice, saying energy, commitment, and leadership were all high.

Finally he was asked who had addressed the team so far to that point on Monday, to which he responded with Darren Rizzi. When asked a followup regarding if they heard from the front office/ownership, he responded with “No.”

Ultimately Moreau was realistic in his responses, and seemed fed up to an extent within reason, but also optimistic for the promotion of Rizzi to interim head coach and the future of the team. That is a good sign ultimately, as having the players rally behind a new coach is most definitely positive.

Foster Moreau scores game-changing touchdown vs. Panthers

Former LSU tight end Foster Moreau came in clutch when the Saints needed it most during Sunday’s road contest against the Carolina Panthers:


Former LSU tight end Foster Moreau came in clutch when the Saints needed it the most during Sunday’s road contest against the Carolina Panthers.

The pass-catcher’s jumping catch in the right corner of the end zone on 3rd & 7 with roughly 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter allowed the Saints to go from trailing, 17-16, to leading, 22-17.

It is Moreau’s lone reception of the game for 17 yards, but it may have made all of the difference in the Saints having the chance to get the outcome they wanted in a game that shouldn’t have been this close with New Orleans on the wrong side of it at this point.

Moreau entered the game with 11 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

The Saints currently lead the Panthers, 22-17 with just under six minutes left to play. If they can hold on, they’ll have chance to raise morale in a big way by snapping a six-game losing streak.

It’ll be a solid first step in getting things back on the right track, even if it comes against arguably the worst team in the NFL.

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Will the Broncos trade for any more Saints players?

Broncos coach Sean Payton has already traded draft picks for Wil Lutz and Adam Trautman. Will he add any more Saints players?

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has eight former New Orleans Saints players on his current squad. Two of those players were acquired via trades.

During his first draft with the team, Payton (and general manager George Paton) agreed to trade a sixth-round pick to the Saints in exchange for tight end Adam Trautman and a seventh-round pick in April 2023.

Four months later, the Broncos traded a seventh-round pick to New Orleans in exchange for kicker Wil Lutz. Trautman’s production has been modest in Denver, but Lutz was a key addition as he is 17-of-18 on field goal attempts this season.

So, with the NFL’s trade deadline (Nov. 5) drawing closer, will the Broncos trade for any more Saints in 2024?

The biggest name bantied about is running back Alvin Kamara, but he seems unlikely to move after signing a two-year extension.

Another popular name often linked to Payton is Taysom Hill, a do-everything tight end who Payton discovered on the NFL’s waiver wire in 2017. Hill is probably a more realistic target than Kamara, but his contract could complicate a potential move.

A third name to keep an eye on could be tight end Foster Moreau. He arrived in New Orleans after Payton left, but Moreau has 11 receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns this season. He would lead Denver’s tight ends in all three categories if he posted those numbers with the Broncos this fall.

We’ll see if Payton adds to his collection of former Saints in the coming weeks. We will track all of Denver’s potential moves on Broncos Wire.

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Saints must continue prioritizing their tight ends amid WR injuries

The Saints finally found their tight ends against the Buccaneers. They need to continue targeting them versus the Broncos and beyond:

The New Orleans Saints got tight ends more involved against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and that should become a trend, especially against the Denver Broncos after injuries laid waste to the receiving corps.

Foster Moreau and Juwan Johnson were non-factors in the offense through five weeks. Their production leaped when the Saints took on the Buccaneers. Moreau and Johnson combined for 59 yards through the first 5 weeks. Moreau had 54 by himself against the Buccaneers.

Part of that change had to do with Spencer Rattler being at the helm and the type of plays Klint Kubiak was calling for Rattler. Another reason was health concerns.

Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are injured, so tight ends may be more involved this week out of necessity. It shouldn’t stop there, however. Health aside, targeting the tight ends started on the first play of the game last week. Rattler rolled out and hit Juwan Johnson for his longest reception of the season. At that time, Olave and Shaheed were on the field.

Rattler continued to target tight ends along the middle of the field. This feels like a section of the field the Saints don’t hit enough. The tight ends can be unlocked. We’ve been looking for it all season, and last week showed it was a possibility.

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The Saints might need one more year from Jimmy Graham after all

The Saints might need one more year from Jimmy Graham after all. The tight ends on their roster aren’t getting the job done:

Maybe the New Orleans Saints were too quick to give Jimmy Graham a polite “thanks, but no thanks” when he expressed interest in running it back this summer. The team lacks a big-bodied target in the red zone, and that flaw has stood out in their recent losses. He’s well past handling a starring role on offense, but Graham can help a team in a bit part.

Graham was bafflingly efficient last year, especially in the red zone. He was thrown to 7 times and caught 6 passes for 39 yards, either converting a first  down or scoring a touchdown every time. All four of his touchdowns were scored inside the opposing 20-yard line.

The Saints could have used that kind of efficiency against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday. Derek Carr attempted six throws inside Atlanta’s 20-yard line. Here’s how they turned out:

  • 1st and 10 from the 20: Pass complete to Rashid Shaheed for 5  yards
  • 2nd and 2 from the 17: Pass incomplete intended for Alvin Kamara
  • 3rd and 2 from the 17: Pass complete to Chris Olave for 16 yards
  • 3rd and 5 from the  15: Pass complete to Mason Tipton for 6 yards
  • 4th and 7 from the 7: Pass incomplete intended for Rashid Shaheed
  • 2nd and 5 from the 5: Pass incomplete intended for Rashid Shaheed

So that’s three completions and two first downs on six tries in scoring position. That’s clearly not good enough. Five of those passes were thrown to wide receivers; neither Juwan Johnson nor Foster Moreau are getting open and making plays in the passing game, which is really concerning when the Saints only have two viable wideouts working in a run-first offense. Moreau caught a touchdown pass in Week 1 but since then he and Johnson have combined for just three catches and 16 yards through three games.

What’s the answer? Getting Graham out of his kayak and back into town? Giving the rookie Dallin Holker some reps? Lining up Johnson out wide, where he played in college? Using Taysom Hill more often as a receiver than a runner? Any of those solutions would be more affordable and more realistic than a big-time trade for someone like Baltimore Ravens decoy Mark Andrews, but it’s still a problem the Saints need to solve. Let’s see what answer they come up with.

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Chris Olave’s absence would force players to see more targets vs. Falcons

The Saints passing attack has been all Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Other players must step up if Olave’s hamstring injury sidelines him:

The New Orleans Saints passing attack has been led by a blend of Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Foster Moreau is your next leading receiver, but with just 5 receptions for 45 yards.

Derek Carr expressed how the lack of targets for players is partially due to the flow of the game and the Saints not passing as often. Still, with the Big 3 commanding so much of the passing volume, you wonder how much one player missing would hamper the offense.

That hypothetical could be a reality on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, as Olave was limited with a hamstring injury on Friday.

Juwan Johnson is the first name that comes to mind as a player who must step up in Olave’s absence. You wanted more out of him in Olave’s presence, but Johnson has to step up if the receiver misses the game.

Johnson is supposed to be your leading tight end, but he’s been shut out of the stat sheet for the last two weeks. He’s not the only one. You’ll look for more out of Moreau and maybe Cedrick Wilson Jr. as well, but the veteran wideout has been limited with an ankle injury. This could be the moment for rookies Mason Tipton and Bub Means to step up at wide receiver, but look for Equanimeous St. Brown to get called up from thee practice squad.

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