The New Orleans Saints had a tough 2023 campaign, while finishing 9-8 they struggled immensely with consistency and ended up losing the division. However, there were some flashes of high-quality play from younger players, especially those who may not have had a ton of playing time overall.
These types of players are critical to the success of the Saints, as many have started off in a limited role but ended up becoming high-value players. In this article, we will be discussing three players who could end up with bigger roles for the Saints in 2024, why they could see this increase, and whether or not they are likely to break out due to this uptick in snaps.
So without further ado, let’s start with our first player:
WR A.T. Perry
A.T. Perry was an extremely intriguing prospect for the New Orleans Saints coming out of the 2023 NFL draft. He was widely considered to be a mid- to late-Day 2 draft pick, and yet he fell all the way to the sixth round at No. 195. He ended being a healthy inactive for the first half of the season due to the Saints having Michael Thomas for a period of time. However, Thomas got injured, as did Chris Olave for a period of time, which gave Perry the opening he needed.
Perry got his first target against the Minnesota Vikings, and in that game he caught two of his four targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. He would go on to play in 10 total games, and start three of them, accruing 12 receptions on 18 targets for 246 yards (20.5 per reception) and four touchdowns. The Saints wide receiver core is going to be a large reason why Perry gets more playing time, as it looks like the following:
- Michael Thomas – 2024 free agent
- Chris Olave – signed through 2025 with 2026 5th-year option
- Rashid Shaheed – 2024 exclusive restricted free agent
- Keith Kirkwood – 2024 free agent
- Lynn Bowden Jr. – 2024 free agent
So the only players currently rostered at wide receiver are Olave and Perry, with Shaheed being likely as he has the exclusive restriction so the Saints will get first priority. But that leaves only three total receivers on the team, with Shaheed and Olave both in a slot-esc archetype or flanker archetype, that leaves Perry as the dominant outside threat, which we have seen he can be to an extent. With another offseason on the team, and a new wide receivers coach, he should see a heavy increase in snaps for 2024.
RB Kendre Miller
Kendre Miller is a tough projection. On one hand, he looked very solid in the playing time he got this season. On the other, he was experiencing an injury that held him out for much of the season. However, the positives likely outweigh the cons for Miller, as he could be seeing an increase in snaps rather rapidly. In week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons, Miller had 13 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown, as well as a reception for six yards. He looked, in all honesty, very good for a back running behind a patchwork offensive line.
There is a reason Miller was a third-round pick for the Saints, and with the other running backs in the room having age looming over their head, Miller is the outlier. Alvin Kamara is currently 28, and will be 29 before next season, which has seen him struggle at times with injury and then trying to get back on track on the field. He has seen dips in both counting and efficiency stats, which is not solely his fault considering the offensive line injuries, but his role will be key to how productive he is. Jamaal Williams is in a similar predicament, at 28 and turning 29 in a few months, he saw very little utilization this season. Miller may be the next man in New Orleans to take on the brunt of the rushing attack, while Kamara can continue to push into his satellite role further.
DT Khalen Saunders
Khalen Saunders was not only very good for the Saints this year, but also embodied what it means to be on the team, a fiery competitor who loves the game and the city. Recently dubbed “Binkatron” unfortunately did not get the offensive touchdown we were all hoping for this season, but man did he play well over the course of 17 games played.
On 47% of defensive snaps played, Saunders had 57 tackles, one TFL, two QB hits, a pass deflection, 14 pressures, and only six missed tackles (9.2%). With all this production, he only saw two penalties on the year as well across 523 snaps. He aligned most commonly in the B-Gap, but also saw about 1/4th of his snaps coming in the A-Gap as well. Overall, he had a great season, and could definitely see a snap increase in 2024.
