The New Orleans Saints have had a pretty solid offseason so far. After finishing 5-12 last season, the team hired Kellen Moore, and a pretty impressive coaching staff, and they’ve also been calculated but active in free agency. New Orleans has re-signed important contributors like Juwan Johnson and Chase Young, traded for Davon Godchaux, who will fill a need at defensive tackle, and also brought in guys like Justin Reid and Brandin Cooks.
It hasn’t been an explosive free agency for the Saints, but with the other low-key signings the team made, New Orleans is building depth, and putting together a better team. However, analysts aren’t convinced the Saints will be any better. In fact, the team is actually going backwards in the latest power rankings.
ESPN recently updated their power rankings, following everything that happened in free agency, and the list looks much different than it did when the offseason first started. The Saints, have dropped two spots on the list, moving from 27 to No. 29.
Saints ranked 29 in ESPN’s latest power rankings
A reason for the drop wasn’t given; instead, each team’s under-the-radar free agency move was highlighted. For New Orleans, the chosen move was the signing of Isaac Yiadom. Katherine Terrell detailed that Yiadom is a needed addition to a secondary that needs to add even more depth this offseason.
Looking at all of the rankings, it seems the Saints’ drop had more to do with the actions of other teams, as New Orleans was leapfrogged by two teams. The New York Jets went from 29 to 27, and the Las Vegas Raiders went from 28 to 26. Both teams had notable quarterback signings this offseason, in addition to other moves, and that could be why they’re moving up and New Orleans is going back.
There are still quality free agents that could be signed, so these rankings could change again. Additionally, the 2025 Draft is around the corner, and that will definitely shake things up again. In the end, the real rankings will be determined by what happens on the field in the fall.