The New Orleans Saints had a chance to regroup during their bye week, taking a much-needed breather with four games left to play. And while their decision to double down on what’s gone awry this season — between poor coaching and subpar quarterback play — is suspect, there are some things worth celebrating.
Some individual performances are reason for hope moving forward. There are also members of the team who haven’t met expectations, leading to their 4-9 record. Let’s look back on the studs and duds from the Saints’ first 13 games:
STUD | WR Chris Olave
Olave has had at least 3 receptions and 40 yards in every game he’s played this season, matching the season-long production from both of New Orleans’ leading receivers from a year ago (Deonte Harty averaged 2.8 receptions and 43.8 yards per game, while Marquez Callaway had 2.7 receptions for 41.1 yards each outing) even in his lowest performances. He’s on pace to break the Saints rookie receiving records and has been a perfect fit in their offense. They were right to trade up for him on draft day, and he’ll be a big part of their fortunes moving forward.
DUD | WR Jarvis Landry
Landry hasn’t met expectations as someone who sparked a lot of excitement within the fanbase over the summer. He missed five games with an injury, which you can’t really fault him for, but he produced 41% of his yardage (272) in a single game back in Week 1 (putting up 114 yards on the Atlanta Falcons). He hasn’t been the sure-handed veteran presence New Orleans thought they’d be getting, and he’s struggled to consistently impact the offense while averaging the fewest receptions per game (3.1) and receiving yards per game (34.0) of his career.
STUD | RG Cesar Ruiz
Seriously, good for him. Ruiz might have been the most consistent player along the Saints offensive line this season, which nobody expected over the summer. He’s certainly been the most consistently available, playing all 814 snaps on offense and sometimes filling in at center. He’s allowed fewer quarterback pressures than either of the starting offensive tackles. There have been some low moments for him, but on the whole Ruiz has been a positive presence up front, which is a big step up from where things stood for him after his first two seasons.
DUD | CB Paulson Adebo
Yes, Adebo has broken up more passes (6) than anyone else on the Saints defense, but he’s also been charged with the most touchdown receptions allowed (4) and a team-leading 540 passing yards allowed; next-worst is slot corner Chris Harris Jr. at 351. Adebo has been the same boom-or-bust player we saw in his rookie year, but without the game-changing interceptions. He’s been penalized 8 times (2 declined or offsetting), often in big moments. He’s also missed tackles more frequently (9 times in 616 snaps) than we saw in 2021. Adebo hasn’t developed as the team hoped he would.
STUD | LB Pete Werner
Werner has been the best player on the field at times this season, making high-impact plays in run defense and holding his own on passing downs. Teams got the better of him early on in coverage but he made some adjustments to play with better leverage and keep his eyes upfield, and he’s arguably outplayed his All-Pro teammate Demario Davis. The only reason it hasn’t felt like the Saints have missed him in recent weeks while he’s been out with an injury is because Kaden Elliss stepped up in a big way. Werner’s breakout season is big for the team moving forward.
DUD | RB Alvin Kamara
Look, much of Kamara’s downturn this year is due to his usage. He’s seen a higher rate of runs going between the tackles than ever before, and the Saints have seemingly forgotten how to throw to him downfield. The screen game is nonexistent. Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. hasn’t put Kamara in a position to win, and neither of his quarterbacks have gotten the most out of him, either. But Kamara has to take some blame for his problems with ball security. He’s fumbled 4 times in just 11 games, which is uncharacteristic of him. But between those negative plays and the missed production, he hasn’t been the guy the team has needed this year. He’s committed more turnovers than he’s scored touchdowns (3).
