Aug 14, 2025; Carson, CA, USA; A New Orleans Saints helmet on the field during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Saints Secret Weapon Emerging In Training Camp

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The New Orleans Saints are heading into the 2025 National Football League season with a chance to change the narrative.

If you scroll social media, there hasn't been a lot of positive projections for the Saints overall. New Orleans had a tough 2024 season and there are a lot of people out there projecting a similarly rough 2025 season. But, that seems overblown.

If you look at this roster, it should be better than last year on paper. Injuries completely derailed the season. The Saints have a good chunk of the veterans back plus some more firepower, like Justin Reid and Brandin Cooks. The quarterback position is giving the team some questions right now, but we should learn more about the competition soon.

The quarterback competition has been the team's biggest talking point, but there's more out there to think about. One of the reasons why the Saints could surprise some people in 2025 is the fact that there are weapons all over the offense. The receiver room has Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Cokos as the top three. Juwan Johnson is coming off a career year at tight end. Alvin Kamara is still one of the best running backs in football. Both Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough have impressed throughout camp so far.

Saints WR has been biggest breakout star of training camp so far

The offensive line also looks better than it did towards the end of the 2024 season. The defense will be a bigger question mark, but there are piece all over to be excited about and Kellen Moore is one of the best offensive minds in the game.

With the season approaching quickly, it's been interesting to see how training camp has gone. There have been standout performances and the guy who has impressed the most in camp so far is Shaheed. Olave is the receiver with the most buzz, but Shaheed has made big play after big play since training camp began.

He has a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod under his belt already, although that stems from special teams. In general, this guy is a big play waiting to happen and injuries have been what has held him back throughout his career so far. If he can stay healthy, he's the guy who can make the biggest jump in 2025, or at least that has seemed like the case throughout training camp so far. We have a few weeks left until the regular season gets here, but Shaheed should be exciting Saints fans right now.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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