Saints Season Preview

A further look at the Saints and what to expect from them in 2022.

Author:
John Hendrix
Updated:
Sep 7, 2022 9:50 AM EDT
Original:
Sep 7, 2022

In this story:

New Orleans Saints

The Saints enter this season as a team that many have varying opinions on. Most tend to err on the side of caution when forecasting their expectations, being bearish on the team's outlook. After being in the trenches for the months of moves, OTAs, camps, and preseason action, we give you our season preview for the black and gold.

Offseason Notes

KEY DEPARTURES: Marcus Williams, Terron Armstead, Kwon Alexander, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Malcolm Jenkins, Sean Payton

KEY ADDITIONS: Tyrann Mathieu, Jarvis Landry, Chris Olave, Marcus Maye, Alontae Taylor, Trevor Penning, Marcus Maye

The Saints lost several key players and their head coach in the offseason. Malcolm Jenkins retired, while Terron Armstead (Dolphins) and Marcus Williams (Ravens) both found new homes in free agency. It took some time for Kwon Alexander (Jets) to latch on, but the veteran has a great opportunity in New York.

New Orleans recently traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles, which shocked a lot of people, but the more you hear about that situation, the more it does make more sense. The biggest loss for the team came in their head coach, Sean Payton, who stepped down from the Saints and has pursued broadcasting this year. The team still has his rights, so we'll see what happens after this season.

USATSI_18536737_168388561_lowres — Jun 14, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) during minicamp at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The team did a good job backfilling their early losses to both of their starting safeties by signing Marcus Maye (Jets) and Tyrann Mathieu (Chiefs). You can even go a step further and say that re-signing P.J. Williams and adding Daniel Sorensen (Chiefs) and Justin Evans were smart moves to help their depth. Additionally, New Orleans did a great job of retaining a lot of their own in the offseason to keep their nucleus in tact.

It doesn't stop there, as New Orleans loaded up in the draft by grabbing Ohio State's Chris Olave after trading with the Eagles. He looks to be a huge addition to a receiving corps that had a ton of opportunity last season. They also drafted key contributors in Trevor Penning and Alontae Taylor, although Penning will miss some time due to a foot injury.

Season Outlook

Aug 26, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) looks on during warmups before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

WHAT VEGAS IS SAYING: The odds for the season have the Saints win total at 8.5, which seems a bit low. Despite all the crazy things New Orleans dealt with last year, they were almost in the playoffs at 9-8. The team opened as a 5.5-point favorite over the Falcons in Week 1.

THE SAINTS WILL SHINE IF: Their defense takes over. This has become a defense first type of team over the past several seasons. They've had a knack for taking over games. They boast a strong run defense, stellar pass rush, and have an exceptional secondary. Their ability to play 'lights out' will make it easier for their offense, and it will go a long way.

THE SAINTS WILL STRUGGLE IF: They can't play complimentary football. There have been so many instances over the years where you'll see one unit play strong, but another doesn't replicate the success. It's seems like a given, but when everything runs well for the Saints, it translates to success.

Of course, key injuries are a bit of concern here. The depth along the offensive line was a little bit of a sore spot last season, and it almost feels like a matter of 'when' instead of 'if' for that group.

MOST TO PROVE: It's undoubtedly Jameis Winston. He enters his third year with the Saints, and hopefully we get to see him go all 17 games this season. He wasn't playing lights out last season, but things were progressing for him with his comfortability in the offense. New Orleans committed to him in the offseason for the next two seasons, and everything that we've seen and heard has only reinforced that this is his team. He's easily a Comeback Player of the Year candidate.

ONE TO WATCH: Paulson Adebo was the training camp MVP for most all of us that talked about it in the media room. He's really kicked things up a level, and is someone that is in for a huge second-year leap. This season's tandem of cornerbacks are reminiscent of the days when the team had Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter.

BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Adam Trautman didn't have the type of season that he wanted last year. He also played hurt. All of that looks to be in the past for him, and he has a big opportunity to have a career year. The tight end position is one of the hardest spots to gauge for New Orleans. The potential is there, but they have a lot of critics to silence. Trautman is someone who had a strong camp, and is poised to have a larger role and find success with Winston at the helm.

UNDER THE RADAR: It has to be Mark Ingram. Too many have said that his age is going to dictate his success. Ingram has looked sharp and crisp for the past few months, and he is someone that has a lot left in the tank. This 'Boom and Zoom' twosome might see some rejuvenation this season. Another player to mention here would be Jarvis Landry.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT: The Saints special teams. Getting Wil Lutz back in the mix has been such a huge difference. He only missed two kicks during training camp, and he's going to be responsible for a lot of the points New Orleans puts up on the board. Punter Blake Gillikin is one of the best assets on the roster, and this unit is truly a strength of the team. Look for big things from Deonte Harty in the return department too.

COACHING FOCUS: Dennis Allen takes center stage, and it's hardly fair to compare his last head coaching stint that started 10 years ago. He's simply not the same person from back then, despite what the national talking heads will say. What I'm most intrigued about for Allen is how he handles situational football compared to his predecessor. We knew Payton's tendency was to be aggressive, but those types of nuances under Allen will be a focal point and ultimately set him apart from him. He'll also continue to handle defensive play calling, and co-defensive coordinators Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen will have a ton of input for him.

Pete Carmichael would be the other person to watch. Many believe that since Payton is gone that the offense will struggle. However, everyone you talk to has only praised what Carmichael brings to the table. He's been a part of the offense since 2006, and New Orleans will end up producing a similar product on the field with him leading the charge. One or two good games from him play calling, and the proof will be in the pudding.

Key Players

Michael Thomas

Getting a healthy Michael Thomas back was one of the most important things to happen to the Saints this year. Everyone was surprised to see him out there for Day 1 of training camp, and he looked tremendous, getting better with each day of practice. He had a hamstring injury that popped up late in camp, but all signs are pointing to him being in the lineup for Week 1.

Thomas is also in that Comeback Player of the Year conversation. He might not put up 2019's Offensive Player of the Year numbers this season, but he should deliver a strong campaign for the black and gold.

Alvin Kamara

Kamara didn't have the strongest of years last season, but still turned in a respectable performance. The main concerns were the amount of touches he got, particularly in the run department and lack of usage in the passing game. Some of that can obviously be attributed to the quarterback shuffle, but this figures to be a big year for AK41.

Something that Jameis Winston said in the offseason was that he focused in on how Drew Brees utilized Kamara out of the backfield, and we should see a lot more of that in 2022. Naturally, the big thing with Kamara is the legal proceedings stemming from a February arrest. However, that still has to play out, and Kamara should be on the field for the foreseeable future.

Marshon Lattimore

We mentioned Adebo earlier, but obviously Lattimore is the team's top corner going into the season. His ability to lockdown receivers has been something to see since he entered the league in 2017. He'll once again have his plate full this season, and New Orleans will need him to keep things going having to go up against the likes of Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, and many other great wideouts the team will face.

Cam Jordan

It took COVID to make Jordan miss the first game in his career. Aside that, he only got better as the year went on. He turned in a 12.5-sack campaign in 2021, with 8.5 coming in the team's final four games. This season, we could see Jordan become the team's all-time franchise sack leader, a mark held by Rickey Jackson (115.0). He simply shows no signs of slowing down, and he'll be the first one to tell you how important his teammates are along the defensive line to get success.

Demario Davis

You can call him the heart and soul of the defense, and could also make the argument that he's in that capacity for the team. Davis has only gotten better with age, turning in three straight seasons of All-Pro work. He's been one of the best free agent pickups for the team, arguably coming in right behind Drew Brees. No matter who you talk to, there's nothing but great things to say about Davis and the way he approaches this game, both on and off the field.

Tyrann Mathieu

The 'Honey Badger' returns home and looks very rejuvenated. He's a very versatile defender that Dennis Allen can use in a variety of ways, so it'll be intriguing to see how it all looks as the season progresses. For now, he's listed as the team's starting free safety to take over for Marcus Williams. Mathieu certainly brings a ton of upside to his game, and is going to be a key piece of success to the Saints year.

The Bottom Line

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) rushes against the New York Giants. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of people are sleeping on New Orleans. They're waiting to see what things look like, as the confidence of Sean Payton not being around is high. What can be said is that Dennis Allen has been around the team 12 out of the past 16 years. He knows what the organization expects. He's also surrounded himself around with some very strong coaches to help support him.

The pieces are in place, and it boils down to execution for the Saints. This defense can carry them a long way, and the offense doesn't haven't to be spectacular for the team to shine. However, the potential is there for them both to be strong. New Orleans is going to face a pretty interesting schedule right before they get into November, and that stretch of six games will be key to their successes or failures in 2022.

Based on everything that we've seen this offseason, there's too many reasons to be optimistic in New Orleans. Assuming it all falls into place, this is a team that should threaten Tampa for the division and be back into the postseason after narrowly missing it last year.

OFFICIAL REGULAR SEASON PREDICTION: 11-6