The declawed Saints offense is averaging the fewest yards per play and points per game since Sean Payton came to town. It can’t be more obvious that Jameis Winston needs more firepower:
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There once was a time when the New Orleans Saints offense almost had too many weapons. The 2009 squad remains iconic for its surplus of receivers; Marques Colston leading the way with Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson stretching the field, and Lance Moore punishing teams that gave him too much room to work while Jeremy Shockey made tough catches in traffic. Reggie Bush was good for big plays, too.
And the 2011 team was even better, arguably the best of all time. Darren Sproles and a historically-great Jimmy Graham joined the party and set all kinds of record. The Saints continued to stack up talent by adding Mark Ingram, Brandin Cooks, and Kenny Stills in subsequent years. A few seasons later Michael Thomas arrived and gave the whole squad a facelift, forming an elite trio with Cooks and Willie Snead. Then Alvin Kamara ushered in another new revolution. Veterans like Ted Ginn Jr., Jared Cook, and Emmanuel Sanders found new life in New Orleans.
This year’s version of the Saints receiving corps can’t hold a candle to what came before. They can’t even compare to other bottom-feeders around the league today. With Thomas injured and disappointing draft picks like Tre’Quan Smith dropping passes, the Saints have had to rely on a no-name group of players that every team, including the Saints themselves, weren’t’ worth drafting.
Just look at how the snaps were divided up on Monday night in Seattle. Marquez Callaway led the group with 40 routes and he only drew 6 targets, catching 3 passes for 32 yards. Smith looked rusty in his return from an injury, running 25 routes (all from the slot) and catching 1-of-3 targets for a mediocre 11 yards. Sure, Kenny Stills (23 routes) and Kevin White (8) were once highly-touted draft picks, but multiple teams gave up on both players before they landed in New Orleans. They didn’t catch any of the 5 combined targets they saw, registering a pair of drops.
It’s bad enough that the wide receivers are stalling out, but the other positions aren’t pulling their weight. Tight end Adam Trautman has come along in recent weeks by catching all five of his targets for 79 receiving yards, but that’s only a small step in the right direction. He’s still nowhere close to where he needs to be. At least the Saints finally began targeting Alvin Kamara again, though you worry about overworking him.
The problem has become too obvious for Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis and other decision-makers in New Orleans to ignore. Their team is averaging a paltry 23.3 points per game after clocking 27 or better every year since 2016. The 5.0 yards per play they’re averaging, fifth-worst in the NFL, is the lowest they’ve ever put up since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team by a full half-yard. Some of the blame falls on Jameis Winston, some more of it can be chalked up to the circumstances with so many key players out of action with injuries, but the majority of the problems fall on Payton and Loomis and other executives at the top of the organization.
No team has neglected the wide receiver position more than the Saints. To quote myself from earlier this year, “the Saints didn’t pick a wide receiver between Tre’Quan Smith’s selection in 2018 (at No. 91) and Kawaan Baker’s end-of-draft pickup in 2021. They evaluated two entire draft classes and decided what they had was good enough.”
That was a mistake. The Saints have been able to get by with the offense as it currently stands, but how far will it be able to take them? What if, Heaven forbid, Alvin Kamara gets hurt? What happens when the defense runs into a top-tier offense, or several top-tier offenses in a row? Do we trust this Saints offense to keep pace with an opponent scoring 30 or 40 points in a game? We probably shouldn’t.
Something has to give. Michael Thomas still hasn’t been designated to return from injured reserve, and Tre’Quan Smith was a liability in his first game back. The younger players around them aren’t going to double or triple their production overnight. They need a talent injection to remain competitive in a conference crowded with loaded rosters.
The Saints owe it to themselves to make some moves. Nobody is getting any younger. Franchise fixtures like Cameron Jordan and Terron Armstead are in the twilight of their Saints careers. Winston can’t be properly evaluated without a legitimate supporting cast. If they’re not serious about finding ways to improve, they aren’t serious about winning anything meaningful this season. What does earning a wild-card seed and a quick exit in Dallas or Arizona accomplish?
So let’s hope something materializes before the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline. This Saints team is frisky with a dominant defense pulling along a mediocre offense. If they can get more help for Winston, they can be truly dangerous.
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