Pep talks for all 6 New Orleans Saints captains ahead of 2021 season

Terron Armstead, LT

Despite hailing from a smaller college, Terron Armstead has made the most of the opportunities presented to him. The Saints saw through the “small college” knock on his resumé coming out of school and took him in the third round, which is a decision they definitely haven’t regretted.

Armstead has gone on to make three Pro Bowls during his eight seasons in New Orleans and while he hasn’t been named All-Pro yet, the Saints know they’re fortunate to have him as the bookend on the left side of their line.

Armstead is entering the final year of his contract and he’ll be looking to earn big-time money on the free-agent market next offseason. Saints fans are hopeful that they can keep him in Louisiana but left tackles are making bank and Armstead might decide that he wants a piece of that cheddar when free agency arrives.

The pep talk for Armstead: If he wants that big contract in 2022, he needs to keep playing to the level he has in recent years. He’s one of the best left tackles in the league but he has to continue to prove it.

Demario Davis, LB

Unlike Armstead, Demario Davis hasn’t spent the entirety of his career with the Saints but the two do have two other things in common. One is that they both attended college in Arkansas and the other is that they impressed enough to get selected in the third round of their respective drafts.

The Jets spent a third-round pick on Davis in 2012 and went on to play for them in five of his first six years in the league (he had a random year in Cleveland in 2016 before returning to New York in 2017). After playing well with bad teams, the Saints added Davis to their defense in 2018 and never looked back.

Pep talk: The defense might look different but he’s the same ol’ Davis. He can dominate on his own without those who left the defense this offseason and he can prove this year that he can do just that.