The Saints want to get out of purgatory, so does everyone else. But can they actually do it?
NEW ORLEANS, LA– With the start of the 2024 NFL Season less than a week away, the New Orleans Saints are looking to improve upon their performance from last season. With a plethora of new coaches and players, the Saints organization believes this is a big year for their franchise.
In 2023, the Saints ended their season with a 9-8 record and finished 2nd in the NFC South, narrowly missing out on the playoffs. Few teams could have considered the Saints an easy matchup last season. Nine of their games were won or lost by one score, and of the other eight, only one was a loss. Whether the Saints were winning or losing, they were always putting up a fight. Additionally, their offense ranked ninth in the league in combined stats and eighth in combined stats on defense.
Part of the reason that the Saints’ offense was ranked highly in 2023 is because of their starting QB, Derek Carr. Carr was not a jaw-dropping QB, like many others in the league right now; however, he was consistent and safe with the ball, which made him reliable. He completed 68.4% of his passes for 3,878 yards, 25 TDs, and only eight Interceptions, which earned him a passer rating of 97.7. Keep in mind that this was his first season with the Saints after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders after the 2022 season.
For the 2024 NFL season, the Saints replaced their offensive coaching staff. Despite their ninth-overall offensive performance this past season, the team struggled to run the ball, and even in the air, they didn’t score as many times as a team would need to find success in today’s NFL. For that reason, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was fired alongside the rest of his staff and as a replacement, the organization brought in Klint Kubiak.
The 2024 season will be Kubiak’s 11th season as an NFL coach, working with many different teams. Most recently, Kubiak worked for the San Francisco 49ers as their offensive pass game specialist, where he led the offense into the top five of almost every passing statistic, including total offense, where they ranked second. Every team that Kubiak has worked for has found success in some way. He has also brought with him a very successful group of offensive position coaches who have all created impressive resumes throughout their time in the NFL.
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After making all of their hires, the Saints began focusing on free agency, in which they made some big moves. To begin, the Saints signed edge rusher Chase Young to a fully-guaranteed $13 million one-year contract, adding to their already stacked defensive line. Signing Young to this one-year contract was a smart move; $13 million is a safe amount to pay someone of Young’s caliber, while there is still a possibility of a massive upside to his play, which we have all seen glimpses of in the past.
The next big signing for the Saints was Willie Gay on a one-year $3 million contract. Gay is another young player with tremendous upside. He has started 47 games in his career for the Kansas City Chiefs, a city in which he has played in many playoff games and even the Super Bowl. Signing Gay to such a cheap deal was a tremendous move this past offseason.
The team also made multiple depth signings such as WR Cedric Wilson Jr., and QB Nathan Peterman, as well as some important re-signings as well, such as Safety Johnathan Abram.
Next up, the Saints went into the NFL draft with seven picks; five of which were for day three of the draft. With the 14th overall pick in the draft, the Saints picked Oregon State OT, Taliese Fuaga. At six foot six and 334 pounds, Fuaga has played in 28 college games, in which time he has pass-blocked a total of 734 times and has never allowed a sack.
In the 2nd round, with the 41st overall pick, the Saints picked CB Kool-Aid McKinstry from Alabama. Getting McKinstry in the 2nd round was considered by many to be a draft steal, as McKinstry was often predicted to be a 1st round pick. He has played in a total of 38 college games, in which he has only allowed one TD per season and averaged an allowed passer rating of 70.23 over all three seasons.
After going through the third and fourth rounds without a draft pick, the Saints began the fifth round with a big move. With the 150th overall pick, the Saints drafted South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler. A few years ago, Rattler was predicted to be entering the league as a top pick; however, after a few below-average seasons upon entering college, and a resurgence of videos from a reality TV show, titled ‘Beyond the Lights,’ in which he made some poor choices as a high school senior, Rattler’s draft stock dropped. Now he has been given the chance to prove he can be the guy for an NFL organization, and during this preseason he has given good reason. He did not play a lot for the Saints this preseason but when he did, he completed some impressive passes and did not make many major mistakes.
At this point, all signs for the Saints are pointing in the right direction. With the new signings and drafted players, as well as the statistical success from last season, their record will likely reflect these positive changes. Additionally, with Klint Kubiak’s success in the past working with QBs and Derek Carr’s proven ability, the two will likely work together to produce much improved on-field play. The Saints have put themselves in a prime position to win. Despite one thing.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen has had a lot of success in the past as a defensive coordinator, including for the Saints under head coach Sean Payton. However, in his time as a head coach, which includes a three-year stint with the Oakland Raiders, he has not found much success. With the Raiders, he led the team to two seasons with a record of 4-12 and was fired in his third season after starting 0-4. For the Saints, he has led them to a record of 7-10 in 2022 and 9-8 in 2023. Saints fans are hopeful for what is to come but scared of Allen’s past sneaking up on the organization.
Now that the season is officially less than one week away, the Saints are primed for a battle to win the NFC South. If Dennis Allen can turn away from his past and the rest of the offseason coach and player moves work out as expected, this team will be a threat in the NFC once again. Now, only time will tell, and thankfully the season starts next week.
