ESPN dubs Saints as one of “teams most likely to decline” in 2020

The NFC South-winning New Orleans Saints were a dominant 13-3 last season, and some analysts are doubting them to be better in 2020.

If you ask the New Orleans Saints and their die-hard fanbase, they think they improved this offseason. With many reasons to cite how they improved, not everyone thinks they’ll be able to top an absolutely terrific 2019.

Before we get into who and why, let’s dive into their offseason.

The Saints added Emmanuel Sanders, the most notable signing. They drafted Cesar Ruiz, ensuingly releasing Larry Warford. They also brought in Adam Troutman and Zack Baun in the draft as well. Their other major signing was Malcolm Jenkins.

Players like Drew Brees and Taysom Hill agreed to new deals that’ll keep them in the Big Easy. This team will also be well prepared to handle an unusual offseason given most of their starters will be returning.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell isn’t buying it. He pegged the Saints, Seahawks and Packers as teams that are likely to decline in 2020. To be fair, even four losses would be considered a decline so it’s not saying that the Saints will be sub-.500 or come short of a playoff berth.

That said, here’s how Barnwell ended his section on New Orleans (note: this is just an excerpt and the full article can be read here).

“The Saints are good enough to overcome an interception and a missed field goal, but that razor-thin margin for error that sent them home twice in the postseason is also the difference between an 11-win regular season and a 13-win campaign. This is an incredibly talented team, and even after the Buccaneers loaded up by adding Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, I think the Saints should still be considered the favorites to win the NFC South. Again, though, I think it’s more likely that they make it to the postseason with a 10-6 or 11-5 record than they do as a 13-3 team,” he said.

To be fair, even Barnwell notes that he was wrong about the Saints in 2019. Underestimating the Saints seems like a trend at this point, but as Drew Brees’ ages, there will undoubtedly be a time where they come up short.

If the Saints finish the season with 11 wins, there won’t be a single fan complaining. They have an incredibly tough schedule with the Super Bowl champs on there, Tampa Bay twice and other top-tier teams from both conferences.

That said, New Orleans could relapse, but even if they do, they’ll certainly still be a playoff-level team in 2020.