The New Orleans Saints 2022 season was nothing to write home about. With a first-year head coach and questions at quarterback, no one expected New Orleans to make a run at a Super Bowl. Still, fans hoped for better. The Saints finished the season 7-10 with more headlines about the next season than this one. The front office and Fans alike are looking to their NFL season 57 to be a far more successful one.
Who Will Lead the Saints Next Season?
The New Orleans Saints had a bevy of problems this season. However, none of those were more pertinent than the obvious struggles at quarterback. Both Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton took the reins of the Saints offense this season, and neither delivered the way fans hoped. Winston was injured early in the season and played only three games. In those games, he underperformed, throwing only four touchdowns as opposed to five interceptions. Dalton then took over and remained the starter after Winston got healthy. Dalton had a decent season with 18 touchdowns and close to 3,000 yards passing. However, he wasn’t the dynamic playmaker the Saints needed.
Now that the season has ended, the Saints are left with the same question they’ve had since Drew Brees retired; who will be the Saints’ next great quarterback? There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the Saints will likely not get a solid quarterback in the draft. New Orleans sent its only first-round pick to the Eagles in a trade, which leaves them without a pick until number 41. So, New Orleans will have to look elsewhere for help at the most important position. That’s the good news.
There are a few veteran quarterbacks who may be available for the Saints to grab. Most notable is Lamar Jackson, whose relationship with the Baltimore Ravens has seemed to sour. After not being able to come to an agreement on a contract, the Ravens and their franchise player are currently at odds. Couple that with Jackson not traveling with the team to Cincinnati, and Baltimore may have a mess on their hands. This has led many to believe that the former Louisville star will part ways with Baltimore, leaving him open for a desperate saint’s team.
Another option is Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Carr underperformed for Las Vegas, who came into the season with high hopes. He was benched late in the season, and the team seems ready to move on. Carr would certainly be an upgrade for the Saints over Winston and Dalton. He finished the season with over 3,500 passing yards and 24 touchdowns for the Raiders. An impressive output, though he did struggle with turnovers throwing 14 interceptions. He also threw 14 picks last year. New Orleans will almost assuredly have a new leader on offense next season. The only question now is, who will it be?
A Light in the Darkness
New Orleans Saints fans had little to celebrate this year with a lackluster season where the Saints ended third in one of the worst divisions in the NFL. Though there is one thing fans will want to remember about the 2022 season, and that is wide receiver Chris Olave.
Coming out of Ohio State, Olave was one of the best receivers in the draft. He was an incredible receiver for the Buckeyes, finishing his four-year career with 2,702 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns. Olave also played for a national championship in 2021, but Ohio State would fall short against Alabama. The Saints took the highly regarded receiver with the eleventh overall pick in the draft, and Olave hit the ground running.
The new Saint took the league by storm. He had over 1,000 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, along with 72 receptions. And that was all done without a top quarterback under center. Olave caught the league’s attention as well. He led all rookies in receiving yards per game at 69.5 and was tied for second in receptions. Olave also became the third Saints rookie to have a thousand-yard season. He joins New Orleans favorites Michael Thomas and Marques Colston on that list.
Chris Olave has recently been named one of six finalists for the 2022 NFL Rookie of the Year. Olave joins two Jets stars in Sauce Gardner and Gerrett Wilson, Kenneth Walker III and Tariq Woolen out of Seattle, and number one overall pick Aiden Hutchinson. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is the current favorite to win the award, but don’t count out Chris Olave. The rookie has been a shining light in an otherwise dark season for New Orleans, and fans have enjoyed watching the show. Who knows what Olave will do in his second season with a solid quarterback and a second-year head coach? Fans hope it will be more of the same.
