The New Orleans Saints will begin the Kellen Moore era on Sunday inside the Caesars Superdome with a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Here are three storylines that may tell the story of the 2025 season for the black and gold:
CAN THE FORMER QB FIND A QB?
Moore was a prolific quarterback at Boise State and played in the NFL as well. He knows the position and has had success as a coach helping players like Jalen Hurts further their development.
However, he has never been faced with the task of finding and developing his own player at the position. After Derek Carr’s retirement, Moore and the Saints front office decided to draft Tyler Shough in the first round. Additionally, they kept Spencer Rattler around and allowed the two to compete for the starting job throughout training camp.
Rattler won the job out of camp, and he will get the start against Arizona on Sunday. However, the quarterback story is far from over in New Orleans, and a big part of Moore’s tenure will be about his success in finding the next franchise QB.
BEST ABILITY IS AVAILABILITY
As the cliche goes, you simply have to have your team stay healthy to be successful in the NFL. Last season, the Saints were among the top of the league in players missing games, which is not a stat you want to rank highly in.
Moore and the staff have changed things up in camp and are hoping to keep this roster intact. If they are to stay healthy, there should be an immediate improvement based on how last season finished. However, there are already a few key players that have been slowed down and it remains to be seen if they suit up on Sunday.
LEANING ON THE DEFENSE
The Saints defense went into last season as a confident unit. While the injury bug no doubt impacted them, that side of the football was still disappointing no matter how you slice it.
In 2025, they brought back a lot of pieces and are high on rookies like Danny Stutsman and Quincy Riley. Veterans Demario Davis and Cam Jordan will be looked at to lead this group, especially after the surprising retirement of Tyrann Mathieu during camp.
If the Saints are going to be successful in 2025, it will likely be because this side of the ball carries the way. The offense will experience growing pains, meaning the defense will be asked to be the most reliable unit.
The Saints begin their 2025 campaign on Sunday at noon inside the Caesars Superdome against the Arizona Cardinals.