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.”
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Derek Carr says his son’s little league team cares more about Sunday’s Saints-Falcons matchup than their own game:
Derek Carr is in his second year with the New Orleans Saints, and he is fully aware of how the rivalry with the Atlanta Falcons expands beyond the team’s practice facility and into the city.
He was reminded of that this week at his son’s football practice. Carr came to the Saints with New Orleans native, and former Raiders teammate, Foster Moreau. The duo have a good relationship, and they coach Carr’s sons’ little league team together.
Carr shared a funny story about how the upcoming little league game was secondary to the Saints’ upcoming game with the Falcons: “Every parent and every kid knows what week it is.”
Not only do they know what week it is, Carr says “they didn’t care about the game we’re about to play, like ‘Hey, it’s Falcons week.'”
This is a great example of what the game means to fans within the city. Who cares who the little league team is playing? Coach Carr needs to understand the only thing that matters is Saints versus Falcons.
The New Orleans Saints added even more firepower to their offense in this 2025 mock draft. Michigan tight end Colston Loveland could be a major upgrade:
The New Orleans Saints have gotten off to a hot start in 2024, but we added even more firepower to their offense in this 2025 mock draft.
We used the PFF mock draft simulator and the 2025 draft order determined according to Tankathon (which had the Saints picking at No. 28 overall). And given the options available when the computer put us on the clock, we decided that Michigan tight end Colston Loveland could be a major upgrade.
A tight end could be in the cards for next year’s draft. The Saints would have seriously considered taking former Georgia tight end Brock Bowers had he made it to their pick this year, but they have to be pleased with what Taliese Fuaga has done for them instead.
Let’s take stock of the position. Foster Moreau is a good player but he has some limitations as a receiver. Juwan Johnson has been in and out of the doghouse with the coaching staff and he missed the offseason with a foot injury, which led to a reduced role in Klint Kubiak’s offense. He’s also going to be a free agent in 2025. Dallin Holker is an unproven rookie, and Taysom Hill splits too much time elsewhere to really be considered a tight end.
Which brings us to Loveland. He’s one of the youngest players eligible for the Class of 2025 (he’ll turn 21 a few weeks before the draft) but he’s already played a lot of snaps at a blueblood program. Loveland has run almost as many routes (527) as blocks he’s thrown (546) for the Wolverines, but he’s regarded as a high-upside receiver first and foremost. It’s important for the Saints’ tight ends to block well but so long as he’s willing to improve, they can work with him. It’s worth mentioning that Loveland is currently dealing with a minor injury but it isn’t believed to be a long-term concern.
And there aren’t many guys his size who move as smoothly as he does. Loveland is listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds but he’s already caught 80 passes for 1,071 yards in a run-first offense. He’s got nimble feet (averaging a solid 5.4 yards after the catch per reception) and good play strength on contested catches (having won 9 of his 17 targets, per Pro Football Focus charting). He’s the consensus TE1 in this upcoming draft class for good reasons.
So the Saints could have a need at tight end, and he could be available. Derek Carr is playing well enough to keep them from looking at early-round quarterbacks next year. The offensive line is always possibility, especially at left guard, and there’s also a chance they could draft a running back given Alvin Kamara’s contract situation; Boise State stud Ashton Jeanty was someone on our radar in this mock draft but he didn’t make it to the end of Round 1.
We also can’t rule out defensive end (if Chase Young doesn’t re-sign) or cornerback (should Paulson Adebo or Marshon Lattimore leave the team). Safety is a possibility, too, considering Tyrann Mathieu’s age. There’s a lot to like about the Saints’ 2-0 start. That doesn’t mean they can’t improve. They’ll have work to do in the offseason like everyone else and it’s worth taking time to explore draft scenarios like this to get an idea of how they could get better in the spring.
Tyrann Mathieu and Marshon Lattimore are listed as DNP’s, but Willie Gay Jr. and Foster Moreau return on Week 2’s initial Saints injury report:
For the second year in a row, the New Orleans Saints have nearly double the amount of players on the injury report as their opponents. This week it’s the Dallas Cowboys
The Saints had a couple of starters go out during the Week 1 romp of the Carolina Panthers. Willie Gay Jr. (undisclosed), Marshon Lattimore (hamstring), Foster Moreau (concussion) and Lucas Patrick (toe) all exited the game due to injury.
Of the three, only Gay and Moreau returned to practice on Wednesday. Gay wasn’t even on the injury report and Moreau was a limited participant. The Saints are likely to stay patient with Moreau because he left last week’s game with a concussion.
Tyrann Mathieu is another veteran who joined the injury report with a heel injury and didn’t participate. Other contributors Rashid Shaheed (finger) and Jamaal Williams (shoulder) were full participants despite being listed with an injury designation.
Tight end Dallin Holker (ankle) along with A.T. Perry (hand) and Jaylan Ford (hamstring) all returned to practice after not participating in any practice leading into Week 1.
Here’s the initial injury report from both teams for Wednesday Sept. 11:
The New Orleans Saints hired Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator this offseason and changed schemes for the first time since Sean Payton was hired in 2006. The change in system directly impacts Derek Carr.
Kubiak’s system is most known for their run game concepts. We saw Alvin Kamara excel in Week 1 and easily could have toppled 100 yards rushing if he played the entire game.
Another new wrinkle is the emphasis on play action and pre-snap motion. This works hand in hand with the run game, and its effectiveness was on full display against the Panthers. Foster Moreau’s touchdown pass came off of play action. That’s a tool Carr has used well throughout his career but which Pete Carmichael was reluctant to embrace as the play caller last season.
In totality, Carr completed seven of his nine pass attempts after a play action fake for 58 yards. Most importantly, it resulted in four first downs and a touchdown. In Week 1, play action was used on 40% of Derek Carr’s dropbacks. That’s a huge jump from last year in which was slightly below 15%. It’s a prime example of how things are schematically different under Kubiak. Another one? Their use of pre-snap motion and shifts jumped by more than 38%. It’s a new day in New Orleans, and these changes might be enough to help them get back to the playoffs.
