The New Orleans Saints in the post Drew Brees-Sean Payton era hasn’t seen any postseason success. For those of you keeping count, this organization hasn’t even made the playoffs since the 2020 NFL season.
Now, Dennis Allen is out as head coach and Kellen Moore is in as the new man in charge in the Big Easy. Yet, Moore is walking into a situation where the roster is old and expensive — which could make a postseason push in year one a tall task.
One thing about this roster is that it is old by NFL standards.
Need proof? Well, Derek Carr, Brandin Cooks, Taysom Hill, Cam Jordan, Demario Davis, Davon Gochaux, and Tyrann Mathieu are all 30 years or older entering the upcoming 2025 NFL season.
An older roster doesn’t necessarily spell doom for an NFL team, but one could argue that the Saints don’t have an elite player at any position in the league. They have a middling, veteran option at quarterback, an aging running back, and multiple veterans on the defensive side of the ball who are nearing the end of their careers — all of which will be playing in a new scheme with Kellen Moore and Brandon Staley entering the fold in New Orleans.
The Saints also dealt Marshon Lattimore last year and lost Paulson Adebo in free agency this offseason, which could create another need at cornerback entering the NFL Draft.
Speaking of the NFL Draft, it will be very interesting to see what direction this new regime decides to go at No. 9 overall. If Shedeur Sanders falls past the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Las Vegas Raiders, do the Saints decide to select a potential franchise quarterback option in the first round?
They do have some nice vertical playmakers at receiver with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and the aging Brandin Cooks, which all present intriguing upside in this Kellen Moore scheme which was very productive through the air when Moore was with the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys during his days as an offensive coordinator.
Alvin Kamara proved he still has something left in the tank with a bounce-back year on the ground in 2024, but is set to turn 30 years old before the start of the 2025 season.
Ultimately, the Saints still have a collection of proven veteran producers on the roster but could be on the downside of their careers. The NFL Draft should be very telling as to whether or not this organization believes they still have enough talent to push for a division crown this upcoming season.
