New Orleans Saints stock up, stock down
With the Saints in the middle of voluntary offseason workouts, here are players whose stocks are either rising or falling.
Stock up
Anfernee Orji, linebacker: Orji went undrafted this year but was quickly picked up as a free agent. The Saints lack depth behind starters Demario Davis and Pete Werner, providing Orji a possible pathway to the roster.
Bleacher Report named him the Saints' most exciting 2023 undrafted free agent. He had 198 tackles, including 19.5 for a loss, during the past two seasons at Vanderbilt.
Derek Carr, quarterback: All it took was one practice for Davis to notice a difference in the Saints offense with Carr at QB.
"Going against him in my first practice, you can already see how he ignites that offense. How he's taking control. It seems they have a lot of things over there where he's comfortable and able to generate and move the offense... You can see the difference," said Davis on Tuesday.
Carr got a boost last week when former coach Jon Gruden visited with the Saints to offer insights on how best to formulate an offense around his one-time QB. The Saints are all-in on Carr and so far, both sides are doing all the right things to make the marriage work.
Carr had his best NFL seasons working under Gruden with the Raiders. From 2018-2020, the duo's three full seasons together, Carr completed 68.9 percent of his 1,583 attempts for 12,206 yards, 67 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. In Carr's four seasons prior to Gruden's arrival, he completed 61.3 percent of his attempts.
Stock down
Alvin Kamara, running back: Kamara's status for the beginning of the season is in limbo with a pending trial on battery chargers set for July 31. The Saints braced for a potential suspension by signing soon-to-be fan favorite Jamaal Williams in free agency and then drafting Kendre Miller in the third round (71st overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Kamara had his least productive season last year, finishing with as many rushing touchdowns (four) as he had fumbles (four), and has more competition in the backfield than last season should those struggles continue.
Andrus Peat, guard: The Saints traded up to draft guard Nick Saldiveri, a sign Peat could be on the outs after this season. Peat is in the final year of his contract and has struggled to adjust to playing guard after playing tackle at Stanford.
Per data from Pro Football Focus, among guards with at least 500 offensive snaps, Peat graded as the third worst as a pass blocker and seventh worst overall. New Orleans has done plenty of good things this offseason to build a playoff team, but the interior of the offensive line is a question. With Saldiveri, the Saints have a viable alternative should Peat disappoint again.
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