Now that the Super Bowl favorite* Carolina Panthers are expected to easily—almost effortlessly—expand their winning record against the New Orleans Saints (up to -5.5 favorites on FanDuel this morning),
I thought it would be gracious to allow a fan of the 1-8 Saints to explain their situation from their perspective. To that end, Nic Jennings of Canal Street Chronicles was most cooperative.
All jokes aside, the Saints a struggling team who just sold off what little value remained on their team at the trade deadline. They are competing with the New York Jets for the first overall pick more than they are the Panthers for any particular position in the NFC South. This is exactly the kind of dead-on-arrival team that the Panthers would lose to in years past.
Read on to find out what is left on their offense, how Chase Young is going to wreck Bryce Young’s day, and what may be next for a franchise that is overdue for leadership changes.
With Spencer Rattler benched, and Rahid Shaheed and Trevor Penning traded away, what’s left for the Saints offense?
Not much. The Saints have little to no rushing attack, and the offensive line and skill positions aren’t talented enough to hold up for an entire game. Taysom Hill’s 29-yard run was the Saints’ only rush of more than four yards against the Rams—29 of their 53 rushing yards came on that one play, and without it, they averaged just 2.4 yards per carry. New Orleans is in a tough spot, having to evaluate two young quarterbacks without much of a supporting cast around them. I’m interested to see how Tyler Shough fares in his second start after performing pretty well against a feisty Rams pass rush.
How is Taysom Hill, a career tight end and distraction, still the best quarterback on the Saints roster?
He’s not. If that were the case, he would’ve been the successor to Drew Brees. There’s a reason Taysom hasn’t started a game at quarterback since the 2021 season. He’s one of the best in the league in his role—if not the best—but he isn’t a starting NFL quarterback.
Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough have shown flashes of potential, but like I said earlier, this roster simply isn’t talented enough. It’s hard to evaluate two young signal-callers in this situation, especially with a first-year head coach.
Obviously, 1-8 is 1-8, but how has Kellen Moore fared in his first season as a head coach?
Kellen Moore immediately won over the fanbase this offseason with the initiative he took and his night-and-day approach compared to former head coach Dennis Allen, especially when it comes to recovery and team bonding. However, it feels like he’s letting the noise get to him and is starting to feel the pressure during games.
He’s often seen standing by himself on the sideline with his head buried in a clipboard, steering away from the things that make his offenses successful—the run game, the deep shots and trusting his offense on short-yardage fourth downs. He’s also hesitant to rely on his kicker, with Blake Grupe struggling, which has led the Saints to punt in too many situations that could have given this offense some momentum. This will likely improve over time, but coaching has definitely dragged down a team already lacking in talent.
Are there any defensive players on the roster younger than and better than Cameron Jordan?
Cam Jordan hasn’t been the future Pro Football Hall of Famer we all remember him as for quite some time now.
That said, Chase Young has been outstanding since returning from his calf injury in Week 6. He’s already second on the team in sacks (4) and pressures (13), and this marks the first time in his career he’s recorded a sack in three straight games. He also notched the fifth multi-sack performance of his career against Tampa Bay in Week 8, while earning a 90.7 pass-rush grade on the year through four games, per PFF.
Do you trust current General Manager Mickey Loomis to make the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Absolutely not. Loomis’ draft record over the past few years has severely set the team back. The Saints have needed to embrace a rebuild for a long time now, and these poor draft classes have made it nearly impossible to do so. You need a foundation of young players who can be part of your future plans, and the amount of whiffs—especially in the first round—has taken its toll on the franchise. Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, Trevor Penning (just traded to the Chargers) and others come to mind.
There need to be changes in the decision-making process, and it starts with Loomis. It would do everyone a favor if he assumed a higher-level role in the front office and allowed a more modern approach to take over personnel decisions—because, unfortunately, Mickey (24 years as GM—the longest-tenured in the NFL) isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
