2 Saints bandwagons to hop on in 2022 before it’s too late

After months and months of waiting, the NFL season is finally upon us, and New Orleans Saints fans are excited to watch their team compete for the Lombardi trophy.

This roster is loaded with guys you expect to produce, but also some players that sneak under the radar. Here are two Saints bandwagons to hop on before it’s too late.

Payton Turner

The former 28th overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft has come under some unfair criticism after his rookie year. Fans weren’t thrilled with the direction the Saints went when they selected the defensive end, so Turner was already under immense pressure to perform.

In 2021, Turner saw limited action in five games with the team. A shoulder injury led the team to place him on IR, which effectively ended his season.

Some fans may have already given up on the 23-year-old, but this author thinks that’s a load of nonsense. The 6-foot-6-inch defender is an absolute beast of a physical specimen. Though he had limited snaps on the field, Turner flashed signs of his potential throughout his five games last season and has been enjoying an impressive training camp.

With Turner locked in and ready to go, he’s poised to have a breakout year in 2022.

Pete Werner

The Ohio State product isn’t the flashiest player on the team but is one of the more important pieces on this defense. As a rookie last season, Werner started eight games and racked up 62 total tackles and four tackles for loss, earning a PFF grade of 79.9. However, Werner seemed to fly under the radar by Saints fans as they seemed more interested in fellow rookie Paulson Adebo.

Nonetheless, with a great mentor in Demario Davis, the 6-foot-3-inch linebacker is ready to turn it up a notch. With a year of experience under his belt and a starting linebacker spot up for grabs, Werner should have an increased role and get more snaps to put up solid numbers.

Werner excels in the run game as he stops opposing halfbacks from getting the yards they need, earning a 91.0 run defense grade by PFF in 2021. Werner also has one of the highest IQs this team has seen from a rookie and possesses an amazing ability to read offenses and react to plays.

Werner is going to be a solid contributor on this talented Saints defense, and you can be ahead of the game by hopping on his bandwagon in 2022.