I like the Saints this season. Their young quarterback did a lot of good things down the stretch last year, and there's a lot to like about the upcoming season.
The personnel moves are the most obvious. They signed Travis Etienne in free agency, who should upgrade a struggling running game a year ago. (I'm not sure Etienne is a great back, but Alvin Kamara's best football is definitely in the rear-view mirror.) They used their top pick on Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson, arguably the best wide receiver in the draft.
Tyler Shough dramatically exceeded expectations for a second-round rookie last year. The second half of the season, he was a top-10 performer among regular starting quarterbacks in typical scoring systems (1 point for 20 passing and 10 rushing yards, 4-point TD passes).
| QBS, 2ND HALF OF SEASON (MINIMUM 6 STARTS) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | St | Pass/G | TD | Yds | TD | FPG |
| Trevor Lawrence, Jac. | 9 | 241 | 20 | 222 | 5 | 27.0 |
| Matthew Stafford, LAR | 9 | 284 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 25.4 |
| Brock Purdy, S.F. | 7 | 226 | 16 | 117 | 3 | 24.7 |
| Drake Maye, N.E. | 8 | 264 | 14 | 180 | 2 | 24.2 |
| Joe Burrow, Cin. | 6 | 270 | 15 | 38 | 0 | 24.1 |
| Josh Allen, Buff. | 9 | 204 | 12 | 299 | 7 | 23.7 |
| Jacoby Brissett, Ari. | 9 | 278 | 17 | 117 | 0 | 23.0 |
| Jared Goff, Det. | 9 | 294 | 17 | 22 | 0 | 22.5 |
| Dak Prescott, Dall. | 8 | 279 | 13 | 56 | 1 | 22.4 |
| Tyler Shough, N.O. | 8 | 260 | 9 | 172 | 3 | 22.2 |
| Caleb Williams, Chi. | 9 | 225 | 15 | 200 | 1 | 21.0 |
| Jaxson Dart, NYG | 6 | 183 | 5 | 236 | 4 | 20.7 |
| Jalen Hurts, Phi. | 8 | 193 | 10 | 214 | 3 | 19.6 |
| Bo Nix, Den. | 8 | 244 | 8 | 149 | 2 | 19.6 |
| Baker Mayfield, T.B. | 9 | 197 | 13 | 224 | 1 | 19.0 |
| Bryce Young, Car. | 8 | 203 | 12 | 138 | 1 | 18.9 |
| C.J. Stroud, Hou. | 6 | 223 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 17.8 |
| Justin Herbert, LAC | 7 | 191 | 8 | 193 | 1 | 17.7 |
| Kirk Cousins, Atl. | 7 | 210 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 17.1 |
| Cam Ward, Ten. | 8 | 176 | 10 | 113 | 2 | 16.7 |
| Shedeur Sanders, Cle. | 7 | 193 | 7 | 153 | 1 | 16.7 |
| Jordan Love, G.B. | 7 | 187 | 10 | 89 | 0 | 16.6 |
| Sam Darnold, Sea. | 9 | 218 | 9 | 54 | 0 | 16.0 |
| J.J. McCarthy, Min. | 7 | 170 | 7 | 119 | 2 | 15.9 |
| Lamar Jackson, Balt. | 8 | 185 | 7 | 169 | 1 | 15.8 |
| Aaron Rodgers, Pitt. | 8 | 204 | 7 | 43 | 1 | 15.0 |
| Geno Smith, L.V. | 7 | 189 | 8 | 28 | 0 | 14.4 |
It's not a given that Shough or the team continues to improve, but there are favorable elements. The NFC South is not a scary-looking division, defensively or otherwise. And the schedule looks good.
New Orleans, with six games against that sub-.500 NFC South, will play one of the two easiest schedules in terms of win-loss record; their opponents this year went a combined 125-163-1 last year. And those opponents allowed an average of 23.9 points per game last season, 3rd-most.
They've still got to play the games, the division's other teams all won 8 games last year. The Saints were just 6-11.
But Shough and some of this team's pass-catchers -- I'm interested.
--Andy Richardson
