Quarterback Tyler Shough had a fabulous showing for the New Orleans Saints as a rookie. Perhaps most impressive about Shough's performance was the fact that he had few viable offensive weapons around him. The Saints made it a focus of changing that this offseason, drafting three wideouts and a tight end along with signing another tight end, starting guard, and featured running back in free agency.
Most expect the Saints to be a vastly improved offensive squad in 2026. They get their first test in today's season opener at the Detroit Lions. This analysis focuses on Shough and the passing game against Detroit's defense.
Lions 2025 pass defense
- 217.4 yards per game (20th)
- 61.6% completion percentage
- 31 touchdowns (26th)
- 13 interceptions (11th)
- 48 sacks
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is the strength of Detroit's defense and one of the most disruptive players in the NFL. Hutchinson had
14.5 sacks, 35 QB hits, and 50 pressures. On the other end, the Lions expect free agent pickup D.J Wonnum to replace the 11 sacks from Al-Quadin Muhammad. Hutchinson and Wonnum will be backed up by Tyler Lacy and Derrick Moore, a solid rotation. In the middle, tackles Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams, and Mekhi Wingo are capable of pushing a pass pocket and forcing inside double-teams.
Middle linebacker Jack Campbell and weakside Derrick Barnes can have their issues in coverage, but each have proven to be effective blitzers. They combined for 9 sacks and 15 QB hits last year, with Barnes recording an interception. Barnes is their best coverage linebacker, with Campbell solid in zones and veteran Devin White likely spelling Malcolm Rodriguez on passing downs.
Detroit has, at best, a questionable secondary. Their top two safeties, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, are starting 2026 on injured reserve. They'll be replaced by Chuck Clark, a hard hitter with limited range, and former corner Avonte Maddox. D.J. Reed is their best cornerback, but the Lions need better consistency and overall play from him, Rock Ya-Sin, and Keith Abney. Roger McCreary and Christian Izien were added in free agency and should improve the unit.
Saints 2025 passing offense
- 219.3 yards per game (13th)
- 67.2% completion percentage
- 19 touchdowns (26th)
- 12 interceptions (17th)
- 49 sacks
It was a season of two vastly different results under Rattler and Shough for the Saints in 2025. In Rattler's eight starts to kick off the season, the Saints averaged 199 passing yards and 15.1 offensive points per game. When Shough took over at mid-season, New Orleans averaged 19.8 points and 251 passing yards over the last nine outings. Unlike Rattler, Shough had to go without Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, and a fully intact offensive line for almost all of his starts and even without Chris Olave or Devaughn Vele to end the year.
New Orleans made an effort to actually give their quarterback a rushing attack with the free agent addition of Travis Etienne. A versatile and explosive back, Etienne is also a solid receiver out of the backfield. His addition should hopefully allow the offense to use Kamara more as a receiver. The plan is to also establish the run to open up more play-action opportunities.
Protecting Shough will be key. The Saints have an outstanding pair of tackles in Kelvin Banks Jr. on the left side and Taliese Fuaga on the right. Both are talented enough for one-on-one assignments, but their matchups against Hutchinson in particular are crucial. If little help is needed on the outside, that allows for more interior double-team protection. This could negate the weakness of right guard Cesar Ruiz, a major liability. Veteran center Erik McCoy returns to help with that also, with free agent left guard David Edwards expected to be a major upgrade inside.
Wide receiver also saw some major changes for the Saints. New Orleans used three draft picks at the position. First round choice Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) is on injured reserve to start the year. Fellow rookies Bryce Lance (4th round) and Barion Brown (6th) both showed playmaking ability during training camp and should be big parts of the attack. How quickly they are on the same page as Shough will be vital to the offensive development. Wideout Devaughn Vele showed outstanding chemistry with Shough last year. Vele will be a key possession receiver and should be a security blanket for the quarterback in key situations.
Wideout Chris Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson are each coming off their best years in the NFL. Johnson had 77 receptions for 889 yards, with Olave catching 100 passes for 1,163 yards. Even with the addition of several new weapons, Olave and Johnson will be huge parts of the game plan. All eyes will be on Tyler Shough, the weapons surrounding him, and a healthy offensive line as the Saints open their year against a Detroit team most consider to be a contender.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: A new-look Saints passing attack needs to start fast Week 1 at Detroit
