• Head Coach: Kellen Moore (first season)
• PFF projected win total: 5.9
• 2024 Record: 5-12 (tied third in NFC South)

Biggest Strength: Pass Catchers

The Saints may have a tumultuous quarterback situation, but whoever wins the starting job shouldn’t have a shortage of receiving options. Chris Olave is one of the best pass catchers in the NFL. Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks are both credible deep threats. Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill comprise an interesting tight end room, though the latter two are still recovering from injuries. Alvin Kamara is still one of the most reliable receivers in the NFL out of the backfield.

Biggest Weakness: Run Defense

New Orleans struggled mightily to stop the run last season, tying for the second-worst PFF run-defense grade in the NFL. Much of those struggles could be attributed to their interior defensive line, where none of their four qualified players earned above a 50.0 PFF run-defense grade last season. The only significant additions to that unit this offseason were veterans Davon Godchaux and Jonathan Bullard, who earned PFF run-defense grades of 48.0 and 63.6, respectively, in 2024.

Quarterback Spotlight: Tyler Shough

• 2024 PFF Grade: 87.4
• Key Stat: 91.6 clean-pocket PFF passing grade (tied for fourth in FBS)

In his seventh season of college football, Shough was finally able to show off the talent that made him such a highly rated recruit in 2018. His lone season at Louisville was also his healthiest, and he responded by posting the fifth-best PFF passing grade in the nation. His biggest on-field issue before last season was his ball security. He remedied that by recording a career-best 1.7% turnover-worthy play rate. If the Saints are able to improve upon last season’s dreadful pass protection, they could give Shough a chance to succeed.

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Offensive Player: WR Chris Olave

Olave has started his career in stellar fashion, aside from the fact that he has yet to play all 17 games in a season. Regardless, he’s recorded PFF receiving grades of 82.9, 82.9, and 83.0 in his first three NFL campaigns. His 2024 season was curtailed in Week 9 after he suffered his second concussion of the year. When Olave is healthy, he is one of the NFL’s best route runners who dominates at all levels of the field.

Defensive Player: LB Demario Davis

Davis’ production slightly declined in 2024, particularly in coverage, but he is still one of the NFL’s best linebackers heading into his age-36 season. He finished 17th among qualified linebackers with an 80.2 PFF run-defense grade this past season, despite the struggles of the defensive line in front of him. He’s also still one of the NFL’s most durable players, having played at least 1,000 snaps in each of the past six seasons.

Rookie to Watch: T Kelvin Banks Jr.

The Saints ranked last in the NFL in PFF pass-blocking grade last season, so they’ll look for first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr. to be part of the solution. He certainly protected his quarterbacks at Texas well while earning an 89.9 PFF pass-blocking grade that ranked fourth among qualified FBS tackles in 2024. Banks’ presence allows Taliese Fuaga to move back to his natural right tackle position, as well, after a year as the Saints’ starting left tackle.

Fantasy Spotlight: WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Olave has the talent to be a top-15 fantasy wide receiver. He scored the 16th-most fantasy points in 2023, and his PFF receiving grade has been at least 82.0 each season. The Saints added Kellen Moore as their head coach, and his slot receivers have been a consistent value in fantasy football. Olave is the wide receiver best suited to line up in the slot.

However, Olave has five documented concussions. This makes him both more likely than the typical player to suffer another concussion and more likely to miss significant time if he suffers another one. After Derek Carr’s retirement, the Saints are stuck between three young and unproven quarterback options, which is also working against Olave.

Best Bet: RB Alvin Kamara to go over 4.5 rushing touchdowns (+115)

Although the Saints have one of the most crowded backfields in the NFL, Kamara is still situated at the top of it. And with two young quarterbacks vying for the starting job, there will be plenty of work on the ground to go around. New head coach Kellen Moore has ample experience orchestrating a strong running game, as we saw in Philadelphia last season. With a revamped offensive line, Kamara should be able to find space to maneuver, with hopes of surpassing this line for a third straight season.

Bottom Line

Considering their struggles in the trenches and shaky quarterback situation, the Saints are likely to use 2025 as a developmental year to discover their foundational players in Kellen Moore’s first season as head coach.