The 2024 season was one that the New Orleans Saints were ready for it to be over. The team finished the year, 5-12, finishing last in the NFC South, while seemingly losing a key player to injury every week during the season. It was a disaster that the franchise will hopefully be able to move on from.
To make sure the team doesn’t have another season like this, the Saints have to learn from this year. One thing the team should’ve learned is which players need to play more. Some players emerged this season, and proved they need bigger roles moving forward. Here are three of those players.
3. Kool-Aid McKinstry deserves a bigger role for the Saints
Kool-Aid McKinstry was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he generated a lot of excitement because of how he thrived at the collegiate level with Alabama. The excitement was justified, because McKinstry had a really good rookie year. He played in 15 games, starting nine, and was targeted 62 times, giving up just 34 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns.
With Marshon Lattimore no longer in New Orleans, the Saints must decide if they want to re-sign Paulson Adebo. Even if they do, McKinstry should remain a starter, and Alontae Taylor should move back inside to slot corner.
2. Marquez Valdes-Scantling deserves a bigger role for the Saints
Marquez Valdes-Scantling doesn’t necessarily deserve a bigger role in New Orleans, he just deserves a role in general. He’s set to enter free agency this offseason, after saving the Saints’ wide receiver room when Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed went down.
In eight games with the Saints, he caught 17 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns. When Olave and Shaheed returns next season, Valdes-Scantling could be a good WR3 for the team.
1. Spencer Rattler deserves to compete for a bigger role with the Saints
Veteran quarterback Derek Carr will likely return next season for his third year in New Orleans, but he shouldn’t be the guaranteed starter. The team has been mediocre with Carr starting, so he shouldn’t have the privilege of automatically starting.
Spencer Rattler, on the other hand, has flashed enough potential to put him in a quarterback competition. A lot can be made about him not winning any of the games he played in, but the reality is he played with a depleted offense and still had some flashy plays. Because of that, he doesn’t necessarily deserve a bigger role, but he does deserve to compete for a bigger role.