It wasn’t all bad. While the New Orleans Saints finished their season with a disappointing 7-10 record, there were multiple bright spots along their roster. Whether it was young talent outperforming expectations or familiar faces taking their next steps, there were several positive surprises on the Saints roster in 2022.
While some players like rookie wide receiver Chris Olave and linebacker Pete Werner were excellent, this list is going to focus on players that we did not expect to have larger roles in 2022. But those that did and found a way to shine in their opportunities were plentiful. These players are among the reasons for continued optimism around the Saints’ future in coming seasons.
WR Rashid Shaheed
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2022 season. The former Weber State Wildcats came to New Orleans as an undrafted free agent. And as with undrafted talent in the past, he turned out to be a hidden gem in the Big Easy. The speedy wide receiver reeled in 28 receptions for 488 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. He also added a 44-yard rushing touchdown on his first career touch.
THAT SHAHEED SPEED 🔥🔥🔥🔥
44-yard TD run 🙌#Saints | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/eBbPUJyvmw
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 16, 2022
Shaheed did all of this in just 12 games of action, the early collection of which he barely saw the attention he should have seen immediately. What’s so impressive about Shaheed is that the expectations around him when he was given his first opportunity against the Cincinnati Bengals were originally set around his abilities as a return specialist. Instead, he showed quickly that he is a legitimate weapon on offense as well. He and Olave are set to be the future of the Saints passing game, and will be fun to watch for years to come.
LB Kaden Elliss
The 2019 seventh-round draft selection has always been a local favorite. But he made his name well known outside of the city of New Orleans this season. When Werner, the Saints starting linebacker beside Demario Davis, was dealing with injury Elliss displayed starter-quality talent right away. He started by asking linebacker coach Mike Hodges for an additional 30 minutes each day to get some extra work in, which quickly became a linebacker room tradition. Then Elliss would go on to play 81 snaps (96%) against the Pittsburgh Steelers piling up a loaded stat sheet.
Kaden Elliss with the SACK! 💪
7-yard loss#PITvsNO | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/yH2TTEp0IL
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 13, 2022
He finished the season with 78 total tackles (43 solo with 7 for a loss), 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 10 quarterback hits. He also finished second on the team with 7 sacks. Elliss was someone that head coach Dennis Allen praised in the offseason for having the “strongest hands” among the pass rushers on the team and for making strides in coverage. That, plus his secure tackling technique helped Elliss shine in a contract year. He’s a must-keep for the Saints this offseason.
TE Juwan Johnson
Speaking of must-keep outgoing free agents, Johnson is another. The former wide receiver showed every bit of his receiving prowess this season coming down with 7 receiving touchdowns. That number tied for the lead across the entire NFC South division out-pacing players like Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and tying with Carolina Panthers unheralded receiver D.J. Moore. But what made Johnson special in 2022 was beyond his pass-catching.
The former Oregon Duck bulked up before, and during, the season and made massive strides as a blocker. While Johnson said in his end-of-season press conference that he did not get to the level he wants to be in 2022, the development he has shown is undeniable. He will be a free agent this offseason, but thankfully for New Orleans, he is a restricted free agent. That should make it very easy for the Saints to get him to stick around.
Juwan Johnson leveled up 🔋
Lead the NFC South in receiving TDs#Saints 2022 leader in receiving TDs
T-3 in the NFL in TE receiving touchdowns🎥 https://t.co/KlYFEtTVGF pic.twitter.com/9DBzVj4cgu
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 13, 2023
CB Alontae Taylor
From widely being called a “reach” in this year’s NFL draft, to those same voices calling for him to be the starter, Taylor had a phenomenal rookie season. The second-round draft pick out of Tennessee was one of the most targeted players at his position on a per-snap basis (5.4 snaps per target) per Pro Football Focus (PFF) but allowed the second-lowest reception percentage (45.3%) and fourth-lowest passer rating when targeted (58.3) among cornerbacks with over 300 coverage snaps. Taylor was legitimately one of the best corners in the NFL in 2022.
In the last two games of the season, the Saints were able to return their top cornerback Marshon Lattimore after he missed 11 Weeks with a lacerated kidney. In those matchups they were able to see what two Lattimore pairings looked like. He and second-year corner Paulson Adebo against the Philadelphia Eagles and Lattimore and Taylor in the closing game against the Carolina Panthers. Which will be the starting pair on the outside in 2023? That’s the dilemma Taylor created: a good problem for the Saints to have.
RG Cesar Ruiz
Unfortunately Ruiz’s stellar 2022 was cut short by a Lisfranc injury on his left foot, but everything leading up to that injury was a showing of spectacular development. While he is credited with allowing 3 sacks this season, that is down from 5. And on a per-snap basis his play improved drastically. In 2021 he allowed 31 total pressures on 610 pass blocking snaps per PFF. That’s a pressure every 20 or so snaps. In 2022 his pressure numbers plummeted allowing just 14 in total on 516 snaps in the passing game drastically changing that frequency to a pressure every 37 or so snaps. That is a massive improvement.
But that was the name of the game for Ruiz. He improved as a pass and run blocker, looked stronger and may have been one of the most consistent pieces on the line this year. Hopefully the injury and subsequent surgery he underwent following the early end to his season will be a non-factor next season allowing his growth to continue.
DE Carl Granderson
The hero of the Cleveland win, Granderson’s development was so apparent that he, an undrafted free agent, pushed former first-round selection Marcus Davenport out of the starting edge defender spot by the end of the season. His 5.5 sacks on the year was good for No. 4 on the Saints roster. 5 of those sacks came in the final seven games of the year as his snap share steadily increased.
Granderson did not just get it done in the pass rush game, though. In order to earn those additional snaps, he had to first impress as a run defender. Once he did that, he spent more time on the field and got to take advantage of more opportunities to pin his ears back and get after the quarterback. Did Granderson’s play cost Davenport his bag this offseason? Time will tell. But it is clear that the Wyoming product will have a large role in 2023.
