The New Orleans Saints come off of a disappointing 2022 season in which they finished third in the division with a 7-10 overall record — and it’s quite a testament to how lowly the NFC South was last year considering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished on top of it with an 8-9 record.
But if the Saints’ offseason moves end up paying dividends, quite a different picture will be painted when all is said and done in 2023 as New Orleans has very much taken a playoffs-or-bust approach. With their first preseason game just days away, let’s recap the road that got them here.
Here’s a look at a handful of places the Saints have improved on paper between the 2023 NFL draft and preseason moves:
Quarterback
Key additions: Derek Carr, Jake Haener
The Saints have had a bit of a debacle at quarterback since the departure of Drew Brees, but the future could be looking up with the addition pf former Las Vegas Raiders passer Derek Carr and underrated fellow Fresno State star Jake Haener.
To this point, Jameis Winston has shown to be a quarterback with a ceiling as a backup at best, so how Carr and Haener pan out could have a huge impact on the team and potentially determine a new long-term starter.
Carr should at least provide a bridge to the Saints finding their next great signal-caller as he’s in the back half of his career, and it will be interesting to see if he can better his touchdown-to-interception ratio with a change of scenery. Carr finished out the 2022 season with a 60.8% completion rate, 3,522 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
How Haener develops will be something to watch as a prospect who projects to have a higher ceiling than some analysts previously anticipated between his impeccable ball placement, accuracy at all levels of the field, football IQ and intangibles.
Wide receiver
Key additions: A.T. Perry, Bryan Edwards, James Washington
The Saints’ list of major steals from the 2023 draft does not start and end with Haener. Wideout A.T. Perry out of Wake Forest could easily be someone to write home about in the coming years.
Plus, it never hurts to have added depth, especially at a position like wide receiver.
Perry may prove to be one of the most underrated players of the draft class as a player who could rise quickly within the Saints’ roster. His frame at 6-foot-3, 198 pounds, his ability to get things done on the deep ball, yards after catch and pure athleticism are all things that will help make Derek Carr look good in 2023.
Defensive line
Key additions: Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Bryan Bresee
The defensive line as a whole and specifically the interior have raised some questions for the Saints going into a season where the men up front on both sides of the ball will be as important as ever with a playoff berth easily within grasp based on what’s on paper.
This summer, the Saints added Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd via free agency, also bringing on former Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee with the 29th overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Bresee still needs time to develop some of his raw aspects to reach his ceiling, but should be expected to be an impact player sooner rather than later.
Offensive line
Key additions: OL Nick Saldiveri
There are questions surrounding the future of left guard Andrus Peat and the way the offensive line as a whole has been something of a revolving door over recent years due to the injury big and some players falling short of expectations.
The Saints added the former Old Dominion offensive tackle this year with the No. 103 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft after the Saints traded up.
He was paid more than his scheduled salary and depending on both the performance of himself and Peat and the $8.8 million cap hit the Saints have with Peat, there’s a scenario in which the team could move on to him sooner rather than later.
Tight end
Key additions: Foster Moreau, Jimmy Graham
New Orleans has put Derek Carr in a practically no-fail situation with the options he has at pass-catcher with a deep group of both wide receivers and tight ends in 2023, even though some of them are names that are not widely talked about.
That’s something a player like Moreau is used to, as he was quietly an integral piece of a historic 2018 LSU offense that powered the way to a national championship victory.
Moreau finished out his final season at LSU with 22 receptions for 272 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Watch for Moreau to help the Saints both as a blocker and as a passing target.
