The New Orleans Saints made a couple of big changes to the offense in the offseason, but that’s still not enough to convince some people that they could improve into one of the more consistent in the league. Arif Hasan of Pro Football Network predicted them to finish as the 22nd best offense in the NFL. To put it less charitably, that’s 11th-worst:
Derek Carr should help the offense improve in big ways, but the receiving corps isn’t projected to do well outside of Chris Olave. It could be the case that we see the old Michael Thomas, which would be a huge help, but hoping for that, along with an offensive line that is definitely not what it once was, is a bit much.
While I don’t expect the Saints to be one of the best offenses in the league, I also don’t expect them to finish towards the bottom. They finished 19th last season and all signs point to a better year this time around.
Carr has been a big talking point of this off season, but there are a few other factors that I think will play into the improvement as well. Wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the former being one of the most underrated weapons in the league, are entering their second season in the NFL. Both shined at points last year while also becoming reliable pieces by the end of their rookie season.
Pete Carmichael was much maligned last season, but it’s important to remember that it was his first full time season as the offensive play caller. You have to imagine he shows a bit of improvement as well.
Lastly, the potential loss of running back Alvin Kamara for a stretch of the season would normally be scary, but the additions of Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams should be more than enough to work until Kamara would return from a suspension. If the offensive line can heal up and stay together while Foster Moreau brings another upgrade at tight end, the offense should be much more stable than the one we saw last year.
