Adam Schefter has become a Nostradamus of sorts lately. He predicted the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots to breakout in the last two seasons, and now he's picking the New Orleans Saints to do the same in year 2 of the Kellen Moore-Tyler Shough era.
When Schefter predicted the Commanders would ascend, they made it to the NFC Championship game. When he pointed out the Patriots, they made it to the Super Bowl. He's 2/2, so the pressure is on the Saints now.
Saints have all the pieces for a rapid ascension
The pieces are there. It's just about them falling into place for the Saints. They have the division, the quarterback and the supporting cast for Schefter to say his team is the Saints and neither host bat an eye.
More than that, the show hosts both applauded the selection. That's because of the potential around the Saints, and it all starts with Tyler Shough. Shough was the best rookie quarterback in the league a year ago. This is the year for Shough to further solidify his position as the top of his class.
Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart were drafted earlier, so they still get the nod as higher ceiling players by most. The benefit of the doubt disappears with a second year of Shough outplaying them, and this time it'd be a full season. Shough showed the tools, and turning it into reality is one of the most important pillars of the Saints success in 2026.
The supporting cast around Shough is no slouch either. The Saints have the mix of proven veterans and high ceiling young players. Since the draft, additions of Jordyn Tyson and Oscar Delp have been the talk of the town. Tyson could legitimately be the top receiver on this team soon, and Delp's presence helps open up the playbook by allowing Kellen Moore to more effectively use multiple tight end sets.
While there's questions of how quickly will the rookies translate, the Saints also added Travis Etienne and David Edwards to boost the run game and pass protection. The Saints have a proven running back, heavily invested in their offensive line, and built up an impressive receiving corps. Tyson is getting a lot of attention, and Chris Olave is coming off his best season. Defensively, they're depending on the development of many younger players, making it the biggest question mark.
The division is clearly up for grabs. You look around and it's difficult to say there's a team who has truly separated themselves as a true contender. Shefter's prediction will be largely determined by how good the team is, but playing in the NFC South definitely helps. The road to the divisional championship won't be as difficult as if they were in the NFC West.
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