FOOTBALL GOLD: Saints – Avoiding the Sophomore Slump

by Matt Dye

There’s a lot of hope in the Big Easy. 

After starting last season with the wrong quarterback, rookie head coach Kellen Moore righted the ship and gave the other rookie the reins, and Tyler Shough took a team that was 1-7 and averaging 16 points a game and finished out 5-4, throwing for over 300 yards twice, with weapons that weren’t on anyone’s fantasy team.

The Saints have taken that momentum into the off-season, first by signing Jennings’ own Travis Etienne, Jr. to take the load off of aging Alvin Kamara in the running game. Kamara missed the end of the season and hasn’t really gotten to play in a Shough led offense. The signing of Etienne now gives Shough two pass-catching running backs, which should keep defenses honest no matter who’s in the backfield.

The wide receivers were next, with the Saints’ 1st Round pick going to Jordyn Tyson, a multi-talented Arizona State standout. His biggest concern is staying healthy, as his college career was injury heavy. But his skill set should blend well with Chris Olave at the one, and a three-headed attack of Tyson and Olave with Juwan Johnson at tight end. Etienne or Kamara coming out of the backfield should give Shough plenty of options he didn’t have last season.

The defense was the one bright spot last season, ranking in the Top 10 in both 3rd Down Defense as well as Redzone, even after being put in bad spots due to a middling offense. Cam Jordan has declared 2026 his final season and will lead the defense, bolstered by Chase Young and Kool-Aid McKinstry at linebacker. 2nd Round draft pick Christen Miller should see a lot of work in rotation at nose tackle, and second year safety Jonas Sanker is another player to watch.

The schedule for the Saints starts with two tough games on the road against teams that underperformed in the playoffs last year, the Lions and the Ravens, and are probably looking for something to prove. Don’t be surprised if the season starts off 0-2. That’s not the end of the world by any stretch.

After that, the Saints could realistically win their next seven games and be sitting 7-2 with a tough road game against another much improved team, the Chicago Bears, in Week 11. Then those final weeks will determine if the Saints go to the playoffs, as four of their last five games are against divisional opponents.

At the same time, this is a division that was won by a team with a losing record last season, so finishing out against divisional opponents might not be the worst scenario.

With that in mind, it all comes down to the quarterback. If Tyler Shough is “the guy,” go scoop up his rookie cards now. And if you believe New Orleans quarterback expert Drew Brees, who says the Saints “got their guy,” then he is.

And you might be too late on that rookie card.

Prediction: 11-6, Divisional Playoff Loss