The New Orleans Saints are preparing for the 2024 season, ready to take it to the Buccaneers and Falcons, the popular favorites to take the NFC South. Derek Carr finished last season on a high note. He will be desperate to solidify himself as the starter, especially given the early buzz surrounding rookie QB Spencer Rattler this preseason. Willie Gay Junior is another name that has stood out in training camp, adding some useful veteran talent to the linebacker room. While he and Chase Young look to bolster the defense, unfortunately, fans have not yet enjoyed the expected breakout of sophomore running back Kendre Miller, whose injuries have frustratingly kept him on the sidelines.
This is an important season for Dennis Allen, and fans will be intrigued to see what Klint Kubiak can do with the offense. With the season just a few weeks away, it is time to address five burning questions surrounding the New Orleans Saints.
1. Is the Roster Strong Enough to Compete in a Relatively Weak NFC South?
The Saints have battled with the salary cap for years, and the result has been an uninspiring set of rosters ever since the departure of Drew Brees. Okay, this is mainly because of the quarterback position, and despite finally paying big bucks for someone to come in and save the day, have the Saints solved the problem?
Derek Carr has had an up-and-down year in 2023, but he at least finished with a good string of performances. The issue is, I am not sure many around the league will fear him in the big moments. The big NFC South signing of the offseason was Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, and I imagine it will be hard to find someone who would take Carr over him.
The defense is the team’s strength, led by Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson, and Bryan Bresee, who will hopefully break out as a sophomore. Chase Young joins that trio via free agency and Khristian Boyd via the draft. Both are exciting names to watch this season for different reasons.
The defensive front can bring it to anyone in the NFC South, but the concerns surrounding Derek Carr and the offensive line suggest Atlanta and Tampa Bay might have the edge.
2. How Long Will It Take to Fully Grasp Klint Kubiak’s Offense?
The arrival of Klint Kubiak should be very exciting for Saints fans. He comes from the Shanahan tree, the trendiest of trees in the NFL coaching landscape, and is fresh off a stint as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator. Purdy put out an incredible sophomore season in 2023, and Brandon Aiyuk broke out finely, so it is a very exciting hire.
Suppose we can take anything away from the way that the 49ers operate. In that case, we should expect Kubiak to try and establish a strong run game that utilizes motion and timing in the passing game to capitalize on windows in the defense. The one glaring issue is that the Saints’ offensive line woes may scupper that plan before it starts. Kubiak will likely bring very specific blocking schemes that will take time to implement, and depending on how much the O-line improves, it could be an issue late into the season.
For Carr, the arrival of a Shanahan-style offense can only be good news (the same can be said for Chris Olave), but any new system takes time, and it may not be until the middle of the season that we see it starts to click.
3. Can Trevor Penning be Fixed?
It has not been lovely so far for Trevor Penning. The 2022 first-rounder got a bad start when turf toe forced him to miss most of his rookie season. Then, when he finally did make it onto the field, it wasn’t for long, this time because of his play rather than injury. He struggled mightily in pass protection, giving up three sacks in his first two games before getting benched after week 6, having earned a PFF grade of just 53.6. This resulted from him conceding four sacks, three quarterback hits, 19 pressures, and seven penalties.
His disastrous first two years in the league are a big reason why the team has such issues on the offensive line, and it is getting to a point where any hope of recovery is looking very unlikely. It’s fair to say that this is a make-or-break year for Penning, but he at least gets a new offensive coordinator to try to produce some magic. Perhaps the new scheme can bring out the attributes that made him good in college. If not, he probably won’t be on the roster in 2025.
4. Will Chris Olave Emerge be the Saints Premiere WR1?
The simple answer is yes. Chris Olave is a certified stud, displaying great speed and elite separation ability. That is exactly what you need to get it done in the NFL as a wide receiver, and new OC Klint Kubiak will know how to maximize those talents. Having already posted over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons in the NFL, I’d say he already has emerged as that premier guy for the Saints, but I expect it to go to the next level in 2024.
The Shanahan offense is very friendly to wide receivers and quarterbacks, and the likely increase in pre-snap motion will work wonders for Olave. He has so much speed and the stress he can cause a defense by getting going before the snap could be dangerous. His breakout will depend on Derek Carr to some degree, but I would be very surprised if this isn’t his best year yet, particularly given the lack of serious target competition.
5. Will the Saints Remain Committed to Derek Carr Beyond 2024?
The quarterback position is always under the microscope, and rightly so. There has been a distinct lack of exciting quarterback play for New Orleans ever since Drew Brees left the building, including Derek Carr, in 2023. While Carr is locked into the starting role in 2024, at least to start the season, the Saints only have to swallow $20 million of dead money to get rid of him post-June 1st, 2025. That is doable and confirms Carr must earn his spot on the roster this year.
The added pressure for Carr is that there is an intense battle for the backup spot going on behind him. This battle is captivating for Saints fans, not just because the backup position is so important in the NFL, but because there is a real possibility that whoever wins the job sees game-time in the 2024 regular season. If that happens, whether it is because Carr has been injured or benched for bad play, the result could be either Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener playing themselves into the next starting role in 2025 and beyond.
Rattler has turned heads in training camp and shown great chemistry with Chris Olave, whereas Haener made some very nice throws in the preseason game against Arizona and led two scoring drives. Rattler also put some good tape out during that preseason game, including setting up the game-winning field goal. If I were forced to bet, my money would be on Derek Carr not being on the roster after June 2025 if things go sideways this season. Watch this battle of the backups with great intrigue, Saints fans!
