There are 13 teams who have been eliminated from playoff contention. Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine ranked which teams are most likely to bounce back next season. How are the New Orleans Saints ranked?
The one separation Ballentine made when ranking these teams putting a fence between teams he views as multiyear reclamation projects versus the rest of the field. The good news is the Saints didn’t find themselves in this category, but they weren’t far away from it.
Ballentine ranked the Saints as the seventh-most likely team to bounce back in 2025, slotting in between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns. The typical conversation around salary cap space is the reason the ceiling is limited on New Orleans.
Chase Young and Paulson Adebo are viewed as free agents who the Saints may not be able to afford to keep, though one could argue Adebo’s injury may bring down his market value.
Ballentine’s optimism around New Orleans turning it around was strongly influenced by making the right hire at coach. The overall roster isn’t great, but “there are some important pieces in place that could entice a quality candidate to take the job.”
You look at pieces, specifically, on the offensive side of the ball, and it feels like things should be better. That’s either an overestimation of talent or an indictment on coaching.
