The New Orleans Saints hype train has been moving at top speed all offseason. They went and added two high profile free agents in Travis Etienne and David Edwards. They finished off that period by signing Kaden Elliss. The Saints' draft class is highlighted by Jordyn Tyson and young talented weapons for Tyler Shough. Then, the Myles Garrett trade happened.
The NFL world stopped when the Rams acquired Garrett from the Browns. That's another NFC juggernaut next to the Seahawks. The Saints' moves are great and a massive step forward, but seeing the Rams land arguably the best defensive player in the months after trading for a top corner really put things in perspective.
It's no indictment on the Saints. They're right on schedule. Multiple acquisitions have generated buzz. The low strength of schedule has aided in higher win projections by some. Sometimes, you need a reality check or a moment to bring you back to earth. The Garrett trade was that. The Saints have taken a huge leap forward. They are likely NFC South contenders, but they aren't quite in the NFC elite. Not yet anyways.
Saints have massive questions to answer on defense
There's just too many questions on this Saints team to project they'll jump into that upper tier in 2026. There's reason to believe that the offense will be significantly better, but it's also largely dependent on Shough's development. We still haven't seen a full season worth of games from him, though the small sample size created ample reason to be excited..
How will Shough develop is the most impactful question for the Saints, but the most questions come from the defense. That side of the ball doesn't have a top-10 pick to lean on for optimism.
There's questions at cornerback. Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley have a combined three years of experience. McKinstry needs to prove he can establish consistency throughout the year, while Riley needs to build on a strong rookie campaign. One thing we don't know is if the Saints have a true number one corner just yet.
Chase Young is your top edge rusher, but who is going to play opposite of him? If the answer is Carl Granderson, then you need more out of him. Young and Cam Jordan each had double digit sacks. It doesn't have to be that far, but the Saints will need Granderson to break his habit of stalling out in the middle of seasons.
The Saints have made enough recent additions to the interior defensive line to earn patience over questions at that position. It is important for them to develop, however, because last year's performance won't be enough.
Lastly, Jonas Sanker is stepping into a premium position, playing the STAR. The huge question is how does he perform in a new position. He was impressive in Year 1, and now his role holds even more weight.
These are premium positions with massive question marks. With that much uncertainty at those positions specifically, the Saints still feel at least two years away. We'll recalibrate after getting the answers to some of these unknowns.
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