New Orleans Saints stacked at five different positions

The New Orleans Saints might not have their quarterback situation figured out for the 2021 season but the reason people are still somewhat high on this team entering what looks to be an intriguing year is the rest of their roster is pretty stacked.

Sure, the wide receiver position could be better, but there are five positions in particular that are really strong as we inch closer to the season.

Mike Clay of ESPN releases his position rankings around this time every year and while he doesn’t think highly of the Saints’ wide receivers, he has five of their positions ranked highly. These positions are running back, offensive line, EDGE rushers, linebackers, and safety, so let’s break these down and look at each position.

At running back, there’s an easy answer as to why the position was given a 3.4 rating, good for sixth-best in the league. Alvin Kamara is that easy answer for why the Saints are this high, as he’s been one of the best running backs since entering the league in 2017. Kamara is so good as a runner but he’s also deadly as a pass-catcher and that’s what makes him one of the best offensive threats out there.

Part of why Kamara is able to do the damage he can do is that the offensive line in front of him creates running lanes for him. The Saints’ offensive line has been rock solid over the past few years and allowed Drew Brees to play into his 40s. The o-line received a 3.8 rating, which put them third on Clay’s rankings.

Defensively, the Saints will look different this year, but they’re still strong on that side of the ball. Despite losing Trey Hendrickson in the offseason, the Saints still received a 3.4 score at EDGE rushers. Their linebackers took a tremendous leap with the re-signing of Kwon Alexander and the safeties are unsurprisingly top-tier as well.

New Orleans Saints are looking good at five different positions

Not having a quarterback set in stone makes the Saints a tough team to figure out but the hope is that these other positions can offset that. Obviously, teams can only go as far as their quarterbacks can take them, so the Saints need to get some positive production out of their signal-caller.

It might take some time for whoever wins the job to find his footing and hopefully if that ends up being the case, these other positions can still lead the Saints to victory.

We saw Kamara explode for six touchdowns on Christmas Day against the Vikings. We’ve seen the EDGE rushers disrupt the opposing offense and make it easier for New Orleans to cruise to victory. The offensive line protecting the quarterback is always a good thing too, and they’re one of the best in the league at protecting their signal-caller.

These five positions look good but will they be enough to keep the Saints relevant in 2021?