The tight end room has some fresh blood and they look poised to be more impactful heading into next season. With the new arrivals of Noah Fant and third round draft pick Oscar Delp the offense will have the ability to play more in multiple tight end sets to create mismatches for the defense. Multiple tight end sets should allow the Saints to improve the run game and conversely the play action game. Playing in tight end heavy sets was something they were unable to do more of last year due to injuries and lack of talent at the tight end position. Mainstay and the only returning starting caliber player is Juwan Johnson. Johnson had a good year last year as one of the few reliable targets in the passing game aside from Chris Olave. Johnson is looking to build on a solid year where he had 77 receptions for 889 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns. He was a security blanket when Rattler was starting and had quite a few big plays when Shough took over as the starting quarterback. With Shough coming into the season as the presumed starter I expect their connection to be even better next season. Someone hoping to have a better connection with a new QB is Noah Fant. Fant was a first round pick back in 2019 with the Broncos but has never quite lived up to his draft status. Fant will be playing on his third team in three years as he seeks to be a quality rotational piece in the offense and find stability for his career here in New Orleans. Fant should be utilized more in the passing game than in the running game but should be able to hold his own when called upon to do his part on run downs. Fant has been on a statistical decline since his time with Denver as his best receiving season came in at 68/670/4 back in 2021. Although his stats have been declining Fant still has plenty to offer with his athleticism and should produce more given a better opportunity. After Fant in the depth chart should be Oscar Delp who could be the x-factor of the tight end room after being selected in the third round of the draft this year. Delp brings a versatile option to the offense as he can lineup in various spots and handle the rigors of blocking in the run game. Delp’s calling card in college was his elite athleticism which jumps off the screen when you watch his tape. He has the ability to turn a five yard catch into an explosive play with how quickly he can get to top speed. Delp is an adequate, willing blocker where like most new tight ends in the league has room to improve in the blocking area of his game. With his versatility and athleticism I believe Delp will play a pivotal role in the offense this upcoming season. With Delp presumed to round out the depth chart at tight end the remaining tight ends will be competing for spots on the practice squad or spots on another team. This group includes Cody Hardy, Treyton Welch, Moliki Matavao, and Zaire Mitchell-Paden. We’ve seen Welch and Matavao from last season fill in admirably after some injuries but are best served as bench options at this point in time in their development. This group of roster hopefuls should hopefully provide some good competition from one another as we progress through training camp and preseason here shortly. Overall this group has a lot more promise heading into this season as it did last year. By getting younger and more athletic the tight ends will play a more prominent role in Kellen Moore’s offense. Whether it’s Juwan building on last season or Fant having a bounce back year or Delp proving to be revelation, the team is going to have plenty of options to choose from to attack the defense. Exactly what this team needed after not having enough last season.

Cornerback was one of the positions going into the offseason I thought could use another major infusion of talent. Outside of Marshon Lattimore’s time with the Saints the team has not had a bona fide number one caliber cornerback. We’ve seen the defense benefit from having one and what the defense looks like without one in recent years. The defense can still be very well be good and effective without a number one but knowing you have one who can take the opposing team’s best receiver out of the game is a game changer. So the Saints have gone through the offseason without any flashy additions to the cornerback room. I’m sure they would have liked to but with all the focus on upgrading the offense it seems like the plan will have to wait for another day. In the meantime though there is a major opportunity for the young cornerbacks on the roster to show they can be long term answers at the position. Kool-Aid McKinstry is entering his third year in the league and offers the best chance of these young corners to break out and become a number one corner. He’s been a reliable starter who has shown flashes of success but with the inconsistency you expect from a young player. Kool-Aid will look to make the patented third year jump a lot of young players tend to make. I’m sure the Saints would love to see it and they just might be with the feedback we have been getting from OTA’s and minicamp. 

The Saints entering the offseason had a glaring need of adding more to the wide receiver room. They are entering the final contract year of Chris Olave in a wide receiver market only getting more expensive by the day. The Saints are aware of this and given the injury history of Olave made the smart, cost controlled moves of adding wide receivers through the draft. Jordyn Tyson the Saints first round pick will play a pivotal role in turning the wide receiver room into a strength after finishing last season with having no viable depth behind Olave. Tyson should serve as the perfect complement to Olave as a big body vertical threat who in actuality can really do anything for the Saints. Tyson will be able to free up Olave from one, not being the only credible receiving threat every down, but two, allow Olave to run routes or concepts which play to his strengths instead of having to shoulder the passing game all on his own. So with two de facto number one receivers on the roster the role players will be able to play their best ball in a role where they don’t have to try and overachieve because of a lack of talent and or diversity in the receiver room. What a year for DeVaughn Vele, getting traded to a new team and having no real impact on the team until opportunity finally came knocking. He answered the call and although in a small sample size clearly demonstrated he can contribute as a big body, possession type of receiver in the offense. Before the showing there was much disappointment after trading a fourth round pick for an older player still on a rookie contract. But all good things take time which could be a good slogan for this young wide receiver room if they get off to a slow start. Behind the trio of Olave, Tyson, and Vele is the young, unproven depth of the room. This group has a little bit of everything. From your roster cuts, late round trades, to day three picks in the draft. This group consists of Bryce Lance, Ja’Lynn Polk, Bub Means, Trey Palmer, Barion Brown, Mason Tipton, Kevin Austin Jr, Ronnie Bell, Damien Alford, Brock Rechsteiner. The big takeaway from this group is the question marks some players have as they look to return from injuries, who can separate themselves by how they preform on limited snaps on offense and who can produce the best on special teams. When we get to the final cut down day to get the 53 man roster it will be interesting to see who the coaching staff decided on of this group. One thing will be certain by then, this group will be much improved from last season. Make sure to follow Kaden Arkeder on X

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