The New Orleans Saints have done enough to keep their season alive despite being without several key players. That makes for a major challenge over the final six games of the season, but also big opportunities.
So which players have the most on the line, starting with a Week 13 showdown against the Rams? That's the question we set out to answer on the latest episode of the Inside Black & Gold podcast. In the end we established eight players (and three coaches) at the top of the list, four on offense and four on defense.
Listen to the full episode in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Here's a rundown of the players covered:
OFFENSE
Click here to listen to the offense segment
1. RB Kendre Miller
OK, so when we say six games it's really five from Kendre's perspective. He went on IR after Week 8 and isn't eligible to return until Week 14 against the Giants. My expectation is that he is ready to go at that point, and it's going to be on the second-year pro to do something in his final five games that gives reason to think there should be a Year 3.
On the positive side, when Kendre has been healthy he's been productive. This year he's only been able to get on the field for two games, but he took his 9 carries for 58 yards (5.3 yards per carry). The explosive element to his game is clear and he should be a good complement to Alvin Kamara that is definitely needed. I still have high hopes for Kendre, hopefully he does something to prove me right.
2. MVS ... or WR1?
When Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed in New Orleans it had to be at least somewhat because there was a clear opportunity. At that point Rashid Shaheed was done for the year and he was an obvious option to fill that role. Then Chris Olave went down with a concussion that sent the third-year pro to IR. Rookie WR Bub Means is there, too.
Enter MVS, who has three touchdowns in the last two games, two of which have been from 40-plus yards out. One of my biggest questions when he was unceremoniously sent away from Buffalo was whether he could still get the job done physically. It's pretty clear he can.
The next question is whether this Saints partnership should be a full-fledged marriage. At this point it feels likely he ends up leading the Saints in receiving yardage on the year, which is a pretty crazy thing for a guy who didn't see action until Week 9. A few more weeks like this and a long-term deal might just be on the table.
3. LG Nick Saldiveri
Remember way back when at the start of training camp when it was Nick Saldiveri running with the 1s? I do, and the Saints did that for a reason. He ultimately lost that job to Lucas Patrick due to injury, and Saldiveri has looked serviceable at left guard in his absence.
It's difficult to know at this point whether Patrick will reclaim his role when healthy, but as long as Nick is in there he's auditioning for the future. The Saints liked the former Old Dominion standout enough to trade up for him in the 2023 draft. Right now left guard is the only position on the OL that still feels completely up for grabs. It'd be nice to see Saldiveri seize that role through good play.
4. RT Trevor Penning
The fact that Trevor isn't at the top of this list is pretty telling of how his season has gone. Perfect? Absolutely not, but he's turned into an asset in the run game and is playing with confidence. For a guy who went in as the odds-on favorite for what would torpedo the 2024 season, he's come a long, long way.
Still, there's PLENTY of time for things to go awry. He's got to stick the landing. There are difficult matchups coming up the rest of the season, including a return to Lambeau where things really seemed to come off the rails in Week 3 of last year. Trevor would be the first to tell you he's not where he needs to be, ultimately. He may have turned the corner, but there's a long road left to travel before I feel like the right tackle position is settled. He needs to keep working his way down that road the rest of the season.
Related
DEFENSE
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1. CB1 Alontae Taylor
Coverage stats and PFF grades haven't been kind to Alontae this season, but that's really not what I'm looking at. At the outside corner spot, eye test means a lot. If teams look at you and see a liability, you'll get attacked. For better or worse that's been the case with Alontae since moving to outside corner. Results have been mixed.
On one hand he's racking up PBUs and there are some truly excellent reps when he's been left on an island in man coverage. There were 4-5 times against the Browns where Jameis went at him, the throw was on target and the ball never had a chance of being completed. Those reps alone are enough to show you he's got the tools to do the job. The issue has been the technical elements.
It was Taylor who got victimized on the 89-yard TD to Jerry Jeudy, failing to force an outside release and getting turned around as the WR broke across his face and outran Taylor across the field. Jameis extended and found the speedy WR on the slow-developing play. It was a mistake in coverage. Those can get corrected, but they're costly. It seems that when Taylor gets beat it's on crossers and in-breakers. Those require discipline, timing, trust. You have to navigate traffic. It's not going well. I've also noticed him seem to get in no-man's land a bit too often in zone coverage. The Eli Moore TD for the Browns was an example of that, with Taylor seeming to pass the WR off to a safety that wasn't in the frame.
He's also been a bit too penalty happy, particularly against the Falcons.
All that said, when you move a young DB outside after having him focus on nickel for the better part of two seasons, mistakes are bound to happen. Responsibilities are diffierent outside and he'll be seeing a lot of things for the first time. That's why I can't pass judgement after three games. The next three will be a lot more telling, because I need Taylor to show he can make those corrections.
If he can do that, fantastic. I feel like I've got a young CB1 in the making. If not? Well, there are a lot of draft picks on the board to be decided. Tick, tick, tick.
2. DE Chase Young
Chase Young arrived in New Orleans as a big name with an even bigger frame that was expected to transform this pass rush into a more fearsome unit. That just hasn't been the case enough of the time, but it's not too late.
That big contract in free agency? DE's need numbers to get those, otherwise he'll be back on the 1-year track. I think Chase has the ability to turn things on and get to double-digit sacks (he's at 3.5 right now). Chase needs to do that to elevate himself out of the Saints' price range for next season.
3. DE Payton Turner
Interesting Payton Turner is in similar contract situation, but while Young is trying to prove he's a star player and not just a role player, Turner is looking to prove he can be exactly that for an NFL team: A quality contributor.
The first step in that question is staying healthy, something he's largely been able to do this year. He's missed one game and has already eclipsed his career high in snaps played for a season. Interestingly the Saints haven't really needed him in any kind of featured role. None of Chase Young, Carl Granderson or Cam Jordan have missed a game or even been all that close to missing action.
Still, his action is ramping up. He's seen his two highest snap totals on the defensive line each of the past two weeks and he's been one of the Saints more consistent rushers. He's got two sacks on the season, both strip sacks of Kirk Cousins (neither was recovered). I think it's very realistic to think Payton comes back on a team-friendly deal in 2025, but it'd be nice to see a few more flashes to make it a bit more obvious why that's the right call.
4. CB2 Kool-Aid McKinstry
This is a much lower-stress "a lot to prove" listing, and it's only because Kool-Aid is getting the type of opportunity the rest of the way no one was really banking on at the start of the season.
I don't expect struggles to get highlighted and cost him down the line, but this is where he needs to establish a baseline that he can be expected to be a quality starter down the road. That's what Paulson Adebo did his rookie season and never really looked back.
If Kool-Aid can prove he should be viewed as the long-term starter on the outside, fantastic. The Saints will probably still draft a DB, but it won't be a necessity. If he can't do that the debate will rage about whether he should get transitioned into the slot with the job going to a veteran player. These six games will factor heavily into that conversation.
Related
BONUS
Coaching trio: Rizzi, Woods & Kubiak
All three of the names above are in different situations. For Darren Rizzi it's a chance to show he's got the chops to be an NFL head coach, whether it's in New Orleans or elsewhere. He's already done what Dan Campbell did in Miami and won his first two games. The rest of his tenure was forgettable in that regard, but he was able to parlay that experience (and time with the Saints) into the job with the Lions, and that's gone well. This is a massive opportunity for Rizzi to show what he has.
For Woods and Kubiak the pressure is to prove that they should keep getting these opportunties. For Klint this is the second time he's been hired as an OC ... but it could also be the second time that run is over after one season (Vikings 2021). He also finished 2022 season in that role for the Broncos, though I don't think that'll get held against him. Still, these opportunities don't come around often. He needs to prove he's got what it takes.
Woods is in a similar boat, though he's been coaching forever and he wasn't hired to be the leader of this group. If anything Woods is coaching to be included in the trio. Even if you kept Rizzi and Kubiak beyond this season, would you not consider bringing in a new DC? Woods needs to show he's got what it takes in that regard.
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