The Saints won the NFC South for the third straight year last season, but suffered another tough loss in the playoffs, as they fell to the Vikings in the Wild Card Round. In the offseason, they addressed some of their top needs and improved their roster.
Key Additions: WR Emmanuel Sanders, S Malcom Jenkins, QB James Winston, and S D.J. Swearinger
Key Departures: QB Teddy Bridgewater, S Vonn Bell, LB A.J. Klein, WR Ted Ginn, and DT Mario Edwards
With the Saints as a favorite to make the Super Bowl again this season, let’s take a look at their starters.
Offensive Starters:
- QB: Drew Brees
- RB: Alvin Kamara
- WR: Michael Thomas
- WR: Emmanuel Sanders
- WR: Tre’Quan smith
- TE: Jared Cook
- LT: Terron Armstead
- LG: Andrus Peat
- C: Erik McCoy
- RG: Cesar Ruiz
- RT: Ryan Ramczyk
Defensive/Special Teams Starters:
- LDE: Cam Jordan
- NT: Malcom Brown
- DT: Sheldon Rankins
- RDE: Marcus Davenport
- WLB: Demario Davis
- MLB: Alex Anzalone
- SLB: Kaden Elliss
- CB: Marshon Lattimore
- CB: Janoris Jenkins
- SS: Malcolm Jenkins
- FS: Marcus Williams
- K: Wil Lutz
- P: Thomas Morstead
Strongest Position: Wide Receiver
The Saints have one of the league’s best wide receivers in Michael Thomas, who broke the NFL receptions record in a season last year. They signed Emmanuel Sanders to a two-year deal in free agency, giving Drew Brees a reliable and steady No. 2 option, which he hasn’t had the past couple season. The wide receiver position has been producing at the hands of Michael Thomas, but expect more from the unit this year with the addition of Sanders.
Weakest Position: Tight End
This was an extremely hard decision to make because the Saints don’t truly have a weak position. I say the tight end position because of depth. Jared Cook had a solid 2019 campaign, posting over 700 yards receiving and nine touchdowns on only 43 receptions. However, behind Cook is a lack of production. Josh Hill, who is listed as the Saints No.2 tight end on the depth chart, does not produce much, only posting 226 receding yards last year and 25 receptions. Cook is a solid tight end option for the Saints, but the depth behind him is a question mark.
The Saints are one of the league’s best teams. They have one of the greatest quarterbacks ever and a terrific offensive arsenal that makes one of the league’s most dominant trios (Brees, Kamara, Thomas). The defense added Malcolm Jenkins to upgrade the safety position and Cam Jordan is an elite pass rusher. I expect the Saints to win the NFC South for the fourth consecutive year and claim one of the top two seeds in the playoffs.
