The 2021 season marked a new era for the New Orleans Saints.
After the retirement of legendary quarterback Drew Brees, New Orleans looked to continue finding success without him.
While the team did tally nine wins on the year, they missed the playoffs after dealing with numerous injuries to key players.
Heading into 2022, there’ll be more organizational change, as former head coach Sean Payton retired after 15 seasons.
Longtime defensive coordinator Dennis Allen takes over for Payton, holding head coaching experience himself from his time with the Raiders from 2012-2014.
The roster additionally saw considerable turnover that’s been generally received positively from fans and media.
Will these moves be enough to get New Orleans back in the postseason? That could depend most significantly on the performance of the offense.
Offensive Restocking
On a surface level, the Saints’ offense doesn’t appear all that different heading into this season.
Yet, a closer look reveals a number of changes.
Jameis Winston will resume his status as the team’s starting QB, a role he fulfilled for seven games before tearing his ACL during a win over Tampa Bay.
While Winston is heading into his third year in the Big Easy, he still hasn’t been the starter for very long.
Winston showcased a more reserved playstyle before the injury in comparison to his time with the Buccaneers.
The Saints hope he’ll continue being productive and efficient over a full season if he’s healthy.
The new-look receiver room also has question marks that come with upside.
Michael Thomas returns after appearing in just seven contests since his fantastic 2019 season.
Thomas is a familiar face in New Orleans, but he’s never played with Winston as his quarterback.
He also will need to prove he’s still a top-tier pass catcher after such an elongated absence.
The Saints also welcome two additional new wideouts in Jarvis Landry and first-round pick Chris Olave to the offense.
All three of these receivers have a ton of talent, but none of them played a game for New Orleans a year ago.
Yet, with the numbers each has previously totaled, this group may prove to be the perfect mix.
Throw in Alvin Kamara’s expected return despite some off-field chatter, and Winston could have plentiful options under this revamped offense.
All the Saints can hope for is that everybody stays healthy this time around.
Major Defensive Potential
The Saints’ defense has thrived for quite some time now, finishing top five in points allowed over the past two seasons.
Heading into 2022, New Orleans will look to continue that streak for a third straight year.
The defense boasts a solid front seven, and arguably an even stronger secondary.
Cameron Jordan remains the heart and soul of this unit, coming off his sixth career double-digit sack season since being drafted in 2011.
DeMario Davis also remains a rock-solid leader for the linebacker unit following his third-straight All-Pro selection last season.
Throw in promising young players like Pete Werner, Payton Turner and Zack Baun, and the front seven could see further improvement this fall.
However, some could argue that New Orleans’ true strength lies in its defensive backs.
The team lost a quality starter in safety Marcus Williams to free agency, but signed a more-than-capable pair of replacements.
Additions to Secondary
The acquisitions of ex-Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu and former Jet Marcus Maye provide new faces in the safety room at a cheaper price than what Williams got from Baltimore.
Mathieu is coming off a down year statistically, but he made the All-Pro first team in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
If the NOLA native can bounce back, his three-year, $33 million contract will look like a bargain.
Maye, meanwhile, is coming off a torn Achilles suffered early last season.
This is a serious injury, but it wasn’t long ago that Jets fans regarded him as an essential part of New York’s defense.
The Saints will wind up looking very sharp if these signings pay off.
Pairing these safeties with the rest of the unit adds intrigue to the 2022 roster.
Marshon Lattimore has long been a key cog in the Saints’ defense as its top corner, and that won’t change in 2022.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson has also played well as both a slot corner and a safety throughout his career.
Throw in promising corners like Paulson Adebo and rookie Alontae Taylor, and the NFL could be looking at one of its more dangerous secondaries.
Once again, however, health is the key question mark here.
Winston, Thomas, Maye, and others like All-Pro tackle Ryan Ramczyk, are coming off notable injuries.
Yet if these players, and their teammates, can stay on the field, the Saints might be on track for a postseason appearance.
