Saints Struck Gold; Rookie Tabbed New Orleans' 'Breakout Player'

The Saints could have a breakout star on their hands...

Dec 23, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a New Orleans Saints helmet during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, which is what a lot of people expected coming into the year.

The Saints are in a bad spot as a franchise right now and they're working on turning it around as the weeks go by.

After losing Derek Carr to retirement, the Saints turned to Spencer Rattler as their starting quarterback in an obvious rebuilding year. This team hasn't been great, but they recently secured their first win of the season and have shown a lot of promise.

A few of the younger players on the team have been quietly emerging as stars over the last few weeks, including Rattler. If they can continue to trend in the right direction, the Saints could have a brighter future than some believe.

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently shared a lot of high praise for rookie safety Jonas Sanker, even going as far as to call him the team's biggest breakout player of the season.

Jonas Sanker earning a lot of high praise from national media members

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Jonas Sanker (33) runs with the ball after a fumble against New York Giants running back Devin Singletary (26) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"Yet another third-round rookie in the NFC South with a top-five PFF grade among those qualified at the safety position. Watts and Sanker are on similar paths," Gagnon wrote. "The latter has been superb in coverage and has registered a pick and a fumble recovery the last two weeks. "

Coming into the season, Sanker didn't seem like he had much of a chance to make any sort of difference. He had Julian Blackmon, Tyrann Mathieu, Justin Reid, and plenty of other safety options ahead of him. He was looked at as a depth piece for New Orleans with the potential to develop into a starter long term.

But with Blackmon on the injured reserve and Mathieu opting to retire, the rookie safety was thrown into the fire and he's been excellent.

Sanker's coverage skills look better than anybody predicted. He has a nose for the football and always seems to be making a play. The Saints needed somebody on defense to come in and make impact plays and Sanker has done that.

He looks to be a staple of their defense going forward.

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