Starters – Syndication Server

Saints don’t have any players in PFF’s top-100 free agents rankings

The Saints don’t have any players in PFF’s top-100 free agents rankings. Expect most of their starting lineup to return for 2024:

Don’t look for the New Orleans Saints to lose many key players in free agency this year. They’ve done a good job of pre-emptively signing players to extension ahead of time; last summer they inked deals with starters who would have hit free agency in 2024 like right guard Cesar Ruiz, defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson, as well as long snapper Zach Wood.

That means only a handful of household names are headed for the open market this offseason. And when you consider the landscape of free agency, there are plenty of players who are seen as better options. Pro Football Focus analysts compiled a top-150 list of the best pending free agents, and there wasn’t a single Saints player in the top-100.

New Orleans was represented by just two names: wide receiver Michael Thomas at No. 115 and quarterback Jameis Winston at No. 130. Both players are technically under contract for 2024, but the Saints must decide whether to extend or release them by March or accept severe salary cap penalties, so for all intents and purposes they’re part of the free agent class.

Thomas was ranked 13th among 17 wide receivers in the top 150, while Winston was slotted in at sixth in the six-man free agent quarterbacks class. Neither of them are projected to land big deals in free agency, either, with PFF projecting one-year deals worth $8 million (for Thomas) and $4 million (for Winston). That’s very manageable not just for interested teams but for the Saints to match if they so choose.

Now, this isn’t to say the Saints won’t lose some players they’d like to have back. Andrus Peat might be a must-sign free agent at left tackle. Guys like linebacker Zack Baun, defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, and cornerback Isaac Yiadom might have better opportunities to get on the field elsewhere. But as far as the starting lineups on both sides of the ball are concerned, there’s going to be a lot of continuity carrying over into 2024.

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Saints shake up their offensive line with two new starters vs. Texans

The New Orleans Saints shook up their offensive line with two new starters in Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans: James Hurst at left tackle and Max Garcia at left guard. Hurst had been starting at guard but poor performance by left tackle Trevor Penning prompted the coaching staff to make a change.

Garcia getting the starting nod is a little odd. Andrus Peat had been expected to start at his old left guard spot with Hurst moving to tackle, but a groin strain injury held him out of practice on Friday and likely impacted this decision. Peat was active on Sunday so the coaching staff must have believed he would be healthy enough to play in a pinch, but not to start an entire game.

It’s an odd choice to shake up the line this much coming off a 34-0 shutout win where the offense finally seemed to get its act together. But head coach Dennis Allen doesn’t have the luxury of time on his side, and he can’t wait for Penning to develop into a reliable starter at left tackle. Allen’s team had to fight and claw its way to a poor 7-10 finish last season and the 3-2 record he took into Week 6 on Sunday was the best of his career to this point in the season. Hopefully Penning can watch and learn and still turn into a player who can help this offense.

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Saints, NFC South rivals make dubious NFL history with 4 new starting quarterbacks

The Saints are making dubious NFL history with their division rivals. The entire NFC South is starting new quarterbacks on Sunday, the first time a division has done so since 1973:

The New Orleans Saints are making dubious NFL history on Sunday. Along with their division rivals in the NFC South, they’re starting a new quarterback on Sunday, which in itself is only kind of interesting. But Elias Sports Bureau researchers found that this is the first time an entire division is trotting out new starters since 1973, when the AFC West experienced a total makeover.

So who are all of these new faces? Who are they replacing? Will they ultimately prove to be upgrades? Let’s explore each NFC South team’s situation under center:

Dennis Allen says Derek Carr, some starters won’t play in preseason Week 3

Dennis Allen says Derek Carr and some starters won’t play in preseason Week 3. Allen won’t be the defensive play caller, either:

The New Orleans Saints aren’t taking any risks in their preseason finale — after Friday’s practice session at the Caesars Superdome, head coach Dennis Allen said that quarterback Derek Carr and several starters will sit out Sunday’s game with the Houston Texans. Allen added that Jameis Winston will start the exhibition game at quarterback, with rookie draft pick Jake Haener rotating in to relieve him.

It’s a smart play. Carr was effective in his lone drive to open the preseason two weeks ago, dicing up the Kansas City Chiefs’ first-string defense and driving a Saints offense that looked like itself for the first time in years. There isn’t anything for him to gain against a Houston Texans squad missing several key contributors with injuries in a game that won’t be reflected in the win-loss column. An untimely injury could derail this team’s season.

So who else could watch this one from the sidelines? The Saints have rested starters like Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Ryan Ramczyk recently to preserve them for the regular season, and that’s likely to continue again on Sunday.

One player to watch: Alvin Kamara. The star running back will open the season with a three-week suspension, so the team may want him to get some work early on to stay fresh, as was their approach with former Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata before his 2021 suspension.

Allen highlighted one other change to their preseason game prep — he won’t be on the headset as the defensive play caller. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods will have the mic in this game, giving him an opportunity to try some different things and run the unit himself. Passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry will call plays offensively again this week, having taken over Pete Carmichael Jr. in their last preseason game with the Los Angeles Chargers. Preseason games are great learning opportunities for the players on the field and the coaches on the sidelines. Hopefully everyone makes the most of it.

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Sean Payton will play Broncos’ starters in preseason

Unlike Nathaniel Hackett last year, Broncos coach Sean Payton plans to play the team’s starters during preseason.

Nathaniel Hackett did not play Denver Broncos starters during preseason last summer, citing risk of injury.

New coach Sean Payton plans to do the opposite in 2023.

“Yeah, I haven’t shelled it out yet, but they’re going to play,” Payton said on Aug. 5 when asked if starters will play in preseason. “We’ll figure out how many snaps. We typically break a game into three phases — first, second, third phase — and then special teams, we might just do two phases, but we’ll have a plan, especially as we get into next week.

“I’ve got a few notes written down. I don’t have a pitch count. I don’t have an exclusion list if someone’s got a light injury that we back — but we can expect our guys play a little bit.”

This should not come as a surprise — Payton said at the NFL owners’ meetings in April that he planned to play starters in preseason.

The Broncos will face the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason opener on Friday. After that, Denver will travel to play the San Francisco 49ers, then the Broncos will host the Los Angeles Rams in their preseason finale (full schedule).

Exactly how much playing time the starters will get remains to be seen, but they’ll definitely get reps over the next few weeks.

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Closer look at Packers starting lineups through 2 training camp practices

Who have been the starters through the first two practices of Packers training camp? Here’s the early depth chart with starters and backups.

With training camp for the Green Bay Packers underway, here is a look at what the initial starting lineups and some of the backup roles may look like to begin this season.

Of course, the caveat is there have only been two days of training camp practices, and the pads are not fully on just yet, so there is still a lot that is either undecided or can change. While there has been a lot of turnover on this roster, many of the starting spots on this team are already accounted for, and based on what I’ve seen through two days of practices, along with offseason programs, these potential starting lineups are beginning to take shape.

Here is a position-by-position look at where I see things currently standing based on what I saw from the sidelines during the first two training camp practices.

Projecting the Saints’ starting lineup on defense in 2023

Projecting the New Orleans Saints’ starting lineup on defense in 2023: Alontae Taylor vs. Paulson Adebo is the main event to watch

There’s a surprising amount of upheaval in store for the New Orleans Saints defense in 2023, having moved on from a number of established starters as well as several high-profile assistant coaches. What’s the end product going to look like? Can Dennis Allen keep his defense in shape with so many changes swirling around them?

Odds are, yes, he’ll continue to field an elite group. Even if the starting lineup looks different from what fans have grown used to. We’ve written up the entire 90-man roster by jersey number here, and shared our way-too-early predictions for the 53-man depth chart and practice squad in Week 1 as well. Now let’s take it a step further and project the starters on defense:

Projecting the Saints’ starting lineup on offense in 2023

Projecting the New Orleans Saints’ starting lineup on offense in 2023: Is the biggest question mark at tight end?

Things are going to look very different for the New Orleans Saints offense in 2023, but we don’t have a ton of questions surrounding the top of the depth chart. We know who the starters will be at quarterback and along the offensive line — plus at wide receiver, assuming everyone is healthy, and running back, depending on how Alvin Kamara’s legal proceedings conclude. If there’s much ambiguity, it’s at tight end.

And how does Taysom Hill fit into the picture?

You can find the entire 90-man roster by jersey number here, as well as our latest predictions for the 53-man depth chart and practice squad to open the regular season. To whittle it down further, here are our picks for the Saints’ starting lineup on offense after minicamp:

4 Saints who could lose their starting jobs in 2023

Between new roster additions and second-year leaps from highly-drafted rookies, there are some Saints players who could lose their starting jobs in 2023:

The New Orleans Saints starting lineup is going to look different in 2023, and some players returning from the 2022 squad are going to be pushed down the depth chart. That’s not a bad thing for a 7-10 team, even if it means a reduced role for some fan-favorites on offense and defense.

Here’s a quick look at four areas that could see the most change over the summer (and no, we aren’t taking the low-hanging fruit by acknowledging Derek Carr is the unquestioned starter ahead of Jameis Winston):

Predicting the Saints starting offense after the draft

Predicting the New Orleans Saints starting offense after the draft; Gauging opportunities for rookies, remaining positions of need

We’ve already taken stock of the New Orleans Saints defense in the wake of the 2023 draft — now what about their offense? Many of these position battles (and in some cases, position assignments) won’t be clarified until training camp begins in July. But we can still make an early survey of the starting lineup and top backups across the board.

Here’s where things stand offensively going into the next phase of the Saints offseason: