The New Orleans Saints have some talent at their disposal and one of the best offensive minds in the game at their disposal in Kellen Moore and yet there isn’t universal love heading into the 2025 season.
When you win just five games last year and have to make the organizational changes the team has, it’s not hard to see why the expectations are low for the team. But, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell shared a list that was still pretty surprising. They ranked the Saints' WR, TE, RB groups as the 24th-best in the NFL.
"It's tough to figure out what to do with Chris Olave, who finished fourth in ESPN's receiver score but was limited to six games and a handful of snaps in two others by concussions, with the star wideout having suffered four in three years," Barnwell said. "He's a legitimate No. 1 receiver when on the field, but it seems impossible to form any realistic projection for how often we'll see the 25-year-old this season. Deep threat Rashid Shaheed has been extremely efficient when healthy, but he missed the final 11 games (meniscus) in 2024.
"The Saints made a move to address their depth at the position by bringing back former first-rounder Brandin Cooks, but the well-traveled receiver has seen his per-route metrics crater over the past three years, even while spending 2023 and 2024 in a pass-happy Cowboys offense. His 48% catch rate last season was way out of line with his prior career average (approaching 66%), so don't be surprised if we see something more out of him.
"As for Alvin Kamara, it might be time to face reality. He has spent half his career with Hall of Famer Drew Brees and half without, and outside of the occasional bright spell (such as his hot two-game start to the 2024 campaign), he has been a different running back without an elite passing game making his life easier."
Did they get it right?
More NFL: Saints Land Better-Than-Expected PFF Ranking
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