Saints Who Could Make A Leap in 2022

Like every team, the Saints are going to bank on some younger players to develop this year to help their season outlook.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
May 31, 2022 10:02 AM EDT

The Saints are going to do everything they can to prove the critics and doubters wrong in 2022, but it'll obviously be an uphill battle. The optimism is there in New Orleans, and on paper, this is a team that certainly has the potential to at least threaten for a Wild Card spot and potentially win the NFC South.

To get back into the postseason, the Saints are going to need a lot of their younger talent to develop and shine. We won't include rookies here, but fully expect players like Chris Olave and Trevor Penning to be big for New Orleans. The focus is on second-year and third-year players who could make an even bigger leap going into the new season.

Pete Werner

Last year's 60th overall pick is going to be in a more prominent role than last year, pairing alongside Demario Davis as one of the team's starting linebackers. For now, he won't be contending with Kwon Alexander for playing time. Last season, Alexander appeared in 47.9 percent of the team's defensive snaps (535) compared to Werner's 35.3 percent (394). There were plenty of glimpses of what Werner could bring to the table for Dennis Allen's defense, and now that's going to be something New Orleans banks on getting in 2022.

USATSI_17227237_168388561_lowres — Nov 21, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New Orleans Saints guard Calvin Throckmorton (76) prepares to block against the New Orleans Saints at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Calvin Throckmorton

After Andrus Peat went down with injury, the Saints filled the gap with undrafted rookie Calvin Throckmorton. He went on to start 14 games for New Orleans, and held his own given the tall order. Throckmorton becomes a strong piece of depth to the offensive line entering this season, and it'll be interesting to see if he could threaten to start at either of the positions.

Andrew Dowell

There was no Fool's Gold with how good Andrew Dowell looked last year in training camp. He consistently had at least one play each practice session where he stood out, and in turn it was impossible to keep him off the roster. Dowell earned his stripes on special teams, and ended up putting together a nice season with 16 games. What makes things even more intriguing for Dowell is the team's linebacker depth. He has a big chance to move up the charts while continuing to be a standout on special teams.

Juwan Johnson Touchdown — Sep 12, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) scores his second touchdown against the Green Bay Packers at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Watch

Landon Young - A foot injury put last year's 6th Round pick on injured reserve after he appeared in 10 games for the Saints. He started in Week 11 for the Eagles game and ended up appearing in 64 snaps (98 percent). The depth behind Ryan Ramczyk, James Hurst, and Trevor Penning is certainly up for grabs. Perhaps Young can make a solid push with some time under his belt.
Payton Turner - He has to get healthy, but we expect to see him at training camp at worst case. The team's 1st Round pick from a year ago certainly has some lofty expectations to live up to, and the hope is that he can be the player we saw in last season's game against the Panthers.
Juwan Johnson - Uncertainty at tight end certainly bodes well for someone like Johnson. He started off his season pretty strong, but really didn't get a ton of looks after the Giants game in Week 4. New Orleans was missing Nick Vannett for nearly the first half of the season, while Adam Trautman struggled being in the spotlight. If Winston and Johnson can get on the same page, it could bode well for him going into the new season, despite what the team has at the position.
Adam Prentice - The Saints are one of the several teams who really utilize a fullback, and Prentice was a nice bright spot for the team last season in the snaps he saw after being called up from the practice squad some. He looked pretty good during the first OTA session we were able to see last Thursday.