2022 Team Reports
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New Orleans Saints Writers
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Team Philosophy
Adam Harstad
Offensive Players
Jordan McNamara
Kickers
Sigmund Bloom
Returners
Adam Harstad
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Team Philosophy
For the first time in sixteen years, someone other than Sean Payton will be the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Expect plenty of continuity, as Dennis Allen (defensive coordinator since 2015) takes over and Pete Carmichael Jr. (offensive coordinator since 2009) remains in his usual role. Carmichael's system involves substituting a large volume of passes to the running back in place of traditional running plays as well as using high-percentage passes over the middle to open up the defense further down the field to deep shots.
Quarterbacks
Starter
Key Backups
The New Orleans Saints started four different quarterbacks in 2021, including Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, and Ian Book. The New Orleans Saints sought long-term stability by targeting Deshaun Watson in trade negotiations before Watson was traded to Cleveland in March. The Saints settled on returning Jameis Winston on a two-year 28-million-dollar contract. Only the 14-million-dollar signing bonus and the 1.2 million-dollar 2021 salary are guaranteed, leaving the Saints no commitment at the position beyond 2022. The Saints traded their 2023 first-round pick along with other assets to move into the 16th and 19th pick in the NFL Draft. The team will be without head coach Sean Payton, who retired in the offseason, with long-term offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael taking over the offense. The Saints have also moved Taysom Hill to the tight end position in the offseason, with the Saints adding Andy Dalton as the backup quarterback behind Jameis Winston with Ian Book.
Running Backs
Starter
Key Backups
- Mark Ingram, Tony Jones, Abram Smith [R]
New Orleans traded for Mark Ingram in 2021 reuniting the Alvin Kamara-Mark Ingram backfield that was dominant during Kamara's rookie contract. Tony Jones was a preseason favorite of the Saints in 2021 making backup Latavius Murray expendable at cutdown time. The Saints led the league in designed running plays per game (30.6) in 2021. Alvin Kamara had a career-high in rushing attempts (240) and career-high in rushing yards per game (69.1) but the lowest yards per carry (3.7) of his career. The rise in receiving corresponded to a drop to 67 targets, down from a prior career low of 97 in 2019.
The Saints have Ingram under contract on a 2.2-million-dollar cap number in 2022 and could save it all by cutting him before the season. Also, he was paid a 300K roster bonus in March, an indication he should be the heavy favorite to be the backup behind Kamara. Behind Ingram is Tony Jones, who did not impress in limited work last season, and priority UDFA Abram Smith out of Baylor will battle to be the #3 running back.
Wide Receivers
Starters
Key Backups
- Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harty, TreQuan Smith, Kevin White
The Saints enter the 2022 season with big questions at the wide receiver position. Michael Thomas missed the 2021 season after he had a June 2021 ankle surgery. The team had expected him to have surgery early in the offseason which would allow him to return for the season, but Thomas chose to wait and have surgery over the summer and a result missed the season. The Saints were left with one of the worst wide receiver depth charts in 2021. The Saints have traded up into a range where they could land a wide receiver then traded up during the draft for Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave. The Saints signed Jarvis Landry to a one-year, $3 million deal with incentives that could push it as high as six million. He and Thomas have some overlap in their roles, so it remains to be seen which of the top three receivers will become Jameis Winston's favorite target.
The remainder of the depth chart features post-hype sleeper Marquez Callaway, former first-round pick Kevin White and former third-round pick TreQuan Smith. Deonte Harty (formerly Deonte Harris), who was suspended at the end of the 2021 season, had a career-high 570 receiving yards, 15.8 yards per catch while finishing tied for 11th at the position in yards per target (9.7).
Tight Ends
Starter
Key Backups
The Saints have announced that Taysom Hill will focus on the tight end position in 2022 instead of competing at the Quarterback position. Hill had a career-high in targets (22) and receiving yards (234) in 2019, so his true receiving impact may be overstated. Hill rushed 87 times in 2020 with only 12 targets, so his role in the post-Sean Payton era is a monitor. Adam Trautman was the 105th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, with a career-high of 27 catches in 2021 in 13 games.
Offensive Linemen
Starters
- LT James Hurst
- LG Andrus Peat
- C Erik McCoy
- RG Cesar Ruiz
- RT Ryan Ramczyk
Key Backups
- Trevor Penning [R], Calvin Throckmorton, Ethan Greenidge
Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk leads this above average group as a three-time All-Pro. Center Erik McCoy and right guard Cesar Ruiz are reliable, high quality players. The questions are on the left side, where tackle Terron Armstead departed in free agency and left guard Andrus Peat still plays well but nears retirement. Rookie Trevor Penning (first round, Northern Iowa) injured his foot in preseason, leaving veteran James Hurst to start at left tackle. If Peat can hold up, this group can hold a high ranking.
Kickers
- Wil Lutz, John Parker Romo [R]
The Saints didn't suffer too terribly without Lutz in 2021, as Aldrick Rosas, Brett Johnson and Brett Maher helped hold down the fort while Lutz recovered. Lutz was a top 10 scoring kicker in 2020, but that was because of the offense more than his acumen, as he only went 23-for-28 on field goal attempts. Lutz's dead cap number is a few hundred thousand more than his $3.4 million salary, so he's likely to beat out Romo, who was accurate at Virginia Tech last year, but went undrafted. He'll be insurance against Lutz being rusty after missing the whole year or having another preseason injury.
Returners
Kickoff Returners
Long-time return specialist Deonte Harris has changed his name this offseason to Deonte Harty, but other than that New Orleans retains enviable continuity on special teams, where Harty -- a former All Pro -- is one of the best two-way returners in the league.
Punt Returners
Long-time return specialist Deonte Harris has changed his name this offseason to Deonte Harty, but other than that New Orleans retains enviable continuity on special teams, where Harty -- a former All Pro -- is one of the best two-way returners in the league.
Team Defense
The Saints defense was outstanding in 2021, ranking in the Top 10 in most every imaginable measure of performance, including fantasy output. The addition of Tyrann Mathieu at safety to replace Marcus Williams, who left for Baltimore, should keep them at a high level, along with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen being promoted to head coach. The fantasy results were a bit unpredictable, with big games against Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, but poor games against the Giants and Falcons, but the Saints are still draftable before the final round with Marcus Mariota on tap in Week 1, Tom Brady coming to the Superdome in Week 2, a trip to Carolina in Week 3, and Seattle coming to the Big Easy in Week 5.
Defensive Linemen
Starters
- DE Cameron Jordan, DT Shy Tuttle, DT David Onyemata, DE Marcus Davenport
Key Backups
- DE Payton Turner, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE Carl Granderson, DT Jordan Jackson [R], DL Kentavius Street, DL Jaleel Johnson
The Saints have a stout and deep defensive line. Starting on the edge, the Saints have two top 20 edge defenders, pure NFL and IDP-wise. Cameron Jordan is the veteran, and though aging, he was still one of the better edge defenders in the league in 2021. Marcus Davenport is Jordan's running mate, and he finally enjoyed his IDP breakout season in 2021 which we were all patiently or impatiently waiting for. Davenport has never lived up to 1st round draft capital, though he played the part in 2021. In the middle of the defensive line, the Saints have David Onyemata starting as the pass-rushing interior defender. Onyemata was suspended to start last year, though finished the season strong. Lining up next to him will be gap filler Shy Tuttle. Tuttle will be the big man in the middle that soaks up blocks opening up gaps.
As mentioned above, the defensive line is very deep. The team's top edge reserve is 2021 first-round pick Payton Turner. Turner has enough talent to start on numerous other teams, though with Jordan and Davenport ahead of him, he will have to wait his turn. Another edge reserve is Tanoh Kpassagnon. Kpassagnon was a 2021 free-agent signee who the Saints lured away from the Chiefs as a free agent in 2021. The Saints also have who himself played a role in 2021, and was part of a nice pass-rush rotation for the Saints. Carl Granderson could also figure into the end rotation. Tuttle isn't entrenched as a starter and one of Johnson, Jackson and Street could beat him out with a good camp, and at least one of them will be relied on for depth in any event.
Linebackers
Starters
- WLB Pete Werner, MLB Demario Davis, SLB Zack Baun
Key Backups
- DMarco Jackson [R], Kaden Elliss, Andrew Dowell
Demario Davis is probably the most underrated IDP asset and has been for a few years now. He has routinely been a top 10-15 IDP linebacker for the past four years for the Saints. Davis is going to once again line up as the team's starting MIKE linebacker. Pete Werner will be serving his first year as a full-time starter after showing promise as a rookie. Werner was a 2nd round pick of the Saints in 2021 and will serve as the Saints's starting WILL linebacker. Since the Saints run a base 4-3, Zack Baun will serve as the SAM linebacker, though that is only during base sets, something the Saints likely will not run too much of.
The main backup for the MIKE and WILL spots for the Saints is actually their starting SAM, Zack Baun. Baun has experience as a starter in this defense and would be able to fill the starting role easily. The Saints added depth and a potential Davis replacement in the fifth round of the 2022 draft in D'Marco Jackson out of Appalachian State. It took Jackson a couple of years to gain a starting role, though when he did he flourished. In his junior season, we saw him flourish in coverage and as a senior, he proved to be a highly effective blitzer. Outside of Baun and Jackson, the group is quite thin with the remaining linebackers on the team, Kaden Ellis and Andrew Dowell, who played a combined 148 snaps all of 2021.
Defensive Backs
Starters
- CB Marshon Lattimore, S Marcus Maye, S Tyrann Mathieu, CB Paulson Adebo, NCB/S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
Key Backups
- CB P.J. Williams, CB Bradley Roby, S Daniel Sorenson, CB Alontae Taylor [R]
Long-time starter and star defensive back Malcolm Jenkins decide to hang up the gloves and retire this year, leaving a hole at safety. The Saints did a terrific job filling that hole by adding both Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu. In all honesty, both Mathieu and Maye will play heavy snaps due to the Saints playing predominantly in nickel and dime defenses. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will likely serve as the team's other starting safety, or the third safety on the field. Gardner-Johnson plays an elite role as a slot or nickel cornerback. In all reality, though the team might have a base defense, the Saints are likely to run mostly Dime and Nickel defenses which would remove Zack Baun from his SAM role and Gardner-Johnson will play Nickel corner while Maye and Mathieu play as the two safeties. When it comes to starting outside cornerbacks, the Saints have two very good cover corners. Marshon Lattimore is one of the top cover corners in the entire NFL and will man one side of the defensive secondary. Last year's rookie phenom Paulson Adebo will start opposite Lattimore after showing excellent tackling matched with quality ball skills.
The Saints have two quality backups at cornerback with two veterans. They re-signed P.J. Williams this off-season and still have Bradley Roby on the roster. Both of these cornerbacks can play either outside or in the slot, making them backups with great value to the team. The Saints also added Alontae Taylor in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft who will be a quality backup after breaking out as a senior. Daniel Sorenson will serve as the main backup at safety with plenty of experience as a starter, providing great depth if one of Maye, Gardner-Johnson, or Mathieu is injured.
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