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The New Orleans Saints begin day one of Training Camp today as the team gears up for the 2024-25 season. An announcement by the organization earlier in the offseason made it known that the Black and Gold would travel to the University of California, Irvine to hold their practices.
The 2023-24 season was another disappointing one as the Saints missed the playoffs for the third straight year. New Orleans and its coaching staff have an abundance of areas that the team needs to improve upon if they are going to get back into the dance.
New Orleans has some of their position groups figured out but there are plenty of questions about the rest of this team that need to be answered. Here are a few that I’ve asked myself before day one of Saints Training Camp:
HOW DOES THE OFFENSIVE LINE SHAPE UP?
Offensive line was rarely an issue for the Saints during the Drew Brees-Sean Payton era. That unit ranked at or near the top of the league year in and year out.
Since Payton’s departure in 2021, the level of play from the O-Line has gone down for multiple different reasons. A couple of those reasons are the losses of key players like Ryan Ramczyk and James Hurst.
Ramczyk was an anchor for the Black and Gold since being drafted in 2017 and was named a 1st-Team All-Pro at the tackle position. The former Wisconsin Badger’s playing career has been derailed by injuries over the last couple of years and may never play another down of football after the Saints announced Ramczyk will be shut down for the upcoming season. Then for Hurst, he called it quits at the age of 32 after a 10-year career in the NFL. The former UNC Tar Heel was a versatile plug-and-play piece for the Saints as he could line up and hold his own at tackle or guard on either side. Those two not suiting up leaves holes on both sides of the line.
Trevor Penning was another former first-round pick for New Orleans and hasn’t panned out thus far as missed a majority of his first season due to injury, then was benched last season due to poor play on the field. The Saints dug their feet even farther in the trenches to improve that part of the team in this most recent draft when they selected OT Taliese Fuaga with their first-round pick. Head coach Dennis Allen was excited about the pick the following press conference and even tested to rookie to see if he could play either tackle position at a high level. There’s hope for the rookie yet there are many questions about him since he hasn’t played a down of professional football to this point.
Some of the other young pieces haven’t stepped up or shown signs that they can be trusted to have a starting role. Landon Young, Nick Saldiveri, and others have been described as developmental and flexible pieces but haven’t carved out any significant roles since joining the team.
The only two players with solidified roles on the offensive line are center Erik McCoy and right guard Cesar Ruiz. Both players inked deals to remain on the team until the 2028-29 season but have had up-and-down years since being drafted.
This new scheme of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak utilizes motion and gets the ball out of the quarterback’s hands quickly, relieving pressure off the offensive line, and allowing the skill position players to make plays with the ball in their hands. If the Kubiak-Shanahan system works as it has for previous teams and coaches, then players across the line should show improvement and a better product, leading to a more exciting offense in 2024.
WHAT DOES THE FRONT SEVEN LOOK LIKE?
New Orleans tends to dedicate nine out of their 53 roster spots toward the defensive line, with five being edge rushers/defensive ends and the other four to the interior.
Cam Jordan was the star of the defense for a few years, racking up at least 7.5 sacks each year from 2012-2022. Last year Jordan took a step back, only recording two sacks in 17 starts, and showed signs of slowing down as an impact player.
Carl Granderson emerged as a potential star replacement for Jordan last season over, however, he disappeared during the middle of the season. Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey are two young pieces who haven’t seen the field because of injuries, struggling to understand the playbook or other reasons.
Second-year defensive tackle Bryan Bresee had an impressive rookie campaign, recording 4.5 sacks and stuffs while in a rotation with veterans such as Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. Even with a strong start to his career, Bresee has a chance to have a sophomore slump like we’ve seen with previous players across the league.
Then, for the linebackers, Demario Davis has played at an All-Pro level since joining the Black and Gold while Pete Werner took a step back last season after a progressing first couple of years. Davis is now 35 years old and is bound to take a step back within the next season or two. Willie Gay signed with the Saints over the offseason to add some depth to the room after spending his first few seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
One big issue for the front seven is guarding and putting pressure on opposing athletic quarterbacks. Due to the types of players the Black and Gold have on the defensive line and coach Allen’s man-to-man coverage approach, players such as Jalen Hurts and others have gashed the Saints for big chunks of rushing yardage.
WHO TAKES OVER AT SAFETY?
Tyrann Mathieu’s versatility has made him a key piece of this defense whether he’s playing in the box to stop the run or defending skill position players and creating turnovers. Mathieu isn’t as young as he used to be, heading into his 12th season as a pro at the age of 32 but has continued to make plays, leading the team in interceptions in 2023.
The former LSU Tiger isn’t the inspiration for the question, it’s about who lines up at the other safety position.
Marcus Maye played the previous two seasons with the Saints and was underwhelming as an impact player after playing 17 total games due to a suspension that stemmed from his time with the Jets and injuries. Those reasons were more than enough for New Orleans to move on from Maye.
Although the Black and Gold released Maye this offseason, there has been no clear replacement. General Manager Mickey Loomis signed a couple of players like Will Harris and brought back Johnathan Abram but no real “big name” replacements.
Jordan Howden was last year’s sixth-round pick and impressed the coaching staff as they put him in spots all around the field. In limited action, the 24-year-old safety made plays with five passes defended, a sack, and a forced fumble.
The lack of addressing the position in the offseason leads you to believe Howden is their guy as he tries to take that next step forward. Early camp practices however will tell you so much about Howden’s progress and the coaching staff’s confidence in the former Minnesota Golden Gopher.
If there are concerns with Howden, there are free agents out there the Saints can bring in to help fill the position. One example is former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons.
The Saints will have training camp practices up until Friday, August 16th, before their preseason matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Levi’s Stadium on the 18th. Their first preseason game will be on August 10th when they travel to play the Arizona Cardinals in State Farm Stadium.