New Orleans Saints see drastic drop in ESPN power rankings

The New Orleans Saints were among the top-ten teams in the NFL last season. They finished No. 2 in the NFC and prepared for a strong playoff run that was cut short by a divisional-round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This upcoming season, New Orleans will have a far different team because of what they had to do to stay under the cap.

This offseason, the Saints had to release impactful veterans like Janoris Jenkins, Emmanuel Sanders, and Nick Easton. Players like Alex Anzalone, Sheldon Rankins, and Trey Hendrickson signed elsewhere as well, further hampering their depth.

The New Orleans Saints lost big-name talents this offseason, but does that justify an almost double-digit drop in the post-free agency power rankings?

In ESPN post-free agency power rankings, the Saints were placed at No. 16. That would still rank second in the NFC South behind the Bucs but in front of the Panthers and Falcons who came in at No. 23 and 24 respectively.

For the Saints, this was a tremendous drop from their top-five placement in the Week 17 power rankings also done by ESPN. There’s a clear reason for the drop and the easiest catalyst to see is the loss of Drew Brees.

Saints’ writer Mike Triplett continued, saying that the best part of their offseason was “minimizing losses.”

"“Let’s face it, the Saints did a lot more subtracting than adding — losing Drew Brees to retirement and a handful of other starters because they were about $100 million over the salary cap. But they made it a priority to keep as much elite talent as possible, including pending 2022 free agents Ryan Ramczyk and Marshon Lattimore. And they kept critical 2021 free agents Jameis Winston and Marcus Williams. QB is obviously the biggest wild card, but this roster is still loaded enough to compete for a fifth straight NFC South title,” Mike Triplett wrote."

He’s right. The Saints were able to somewhat minimize their losses.

Blows to the team like losing Jameis Winston and Marcus Williams didn’t have to be suffered. They lost key personnel, yes, but with three compensatory picks inbound, the Saints should be able to replace that lost talent.

The Saints will also be forced to ask several players to step up. The first will be a receiver. That could be either Deonte Harris, Marquez Callaway, or Tre’Quan Smith. Better yet, all three could play a more impactful role.

Marcus Davenport will also have his number called again and both Zach Baun and Adam Trautman will have far bigger opportunities in their respective positions. A cornerback will also have to replace the now-Titan Janoris Jenkins.

That said, the drop is justified, but the Saints should still be a playoff-contending team in 2021.