{"id":11187,"date":"2025-08-18T10:39:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T10:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=11187"},"modified":"2025-08-18T10:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T10:44:08","slug":"saints-2025-nfl-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/saints-2025-nfl-season-preview","title":{"rendered":"New Orleans Saints 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Kellen Moore Has a Tough Quarterback Decision to Make"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/new-orleans-saints-6763\">New Orleans Saints<\/a> have fallen on some hard times, the kind you\u2019d expect when an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/league\/nfl-352\">NFL<\/a> team loses the best quarterback (Drew Brees) and coach (Sean Payton) they ever had. But the Saints delayed some of the losing thanks to an expensive, aging roster full of veterans that may have even made the playoffs in 2023 if not for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/new-orleans-saints-2024-nfl-season-preview\">missed field goal in Green Bay<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were some reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the Saints going into the 2024 season. But after a 2-0 start where they scored 91 points, injuries quickly set in and derailed the season. That 2-0 start became a 2-7 start, and head coach Dennis Allen was fired for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, the Saints truly do enter a rebuilding year with a rookie coach (Kellen Moore) and they drafted rookie quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/tyler-shough-123069#competitionId=352\">Tyler Shough<\/a> in the second round to much surprise. Hell, you know things are starting over when backup utility player Taysom Hill has your highest cap hit at just south of $18 million for the 2025 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Biggest cap hits for the 2025 Saints:<br><br>\u2022 Taysom Hill $18M<br>\u2022 Alvin Kamara $10M<br>\u2022 Cam Jordan $9.8M<br>\u2022 Erik McCoy $8.3M<br><br>I&#39;m not sure there&#39;s a year where this wouldn&#39;t look weird.<\/p>&mdash; Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottKacsmar\/status\/1957336055381950467?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 18, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The expectations are super low this year with sportsbooks giving the Saints (tied with Cleveland) the lowest Super Bowl LX odds (+40000 at FanDuel). They could probably add a \u20180\u2019 in there and it still wouldn\u2019t be worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But tale as old as time \u2013 and almost as old as Tyler Shough \u2013 many of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history started with the arrival of a new coach and quarterback. Let\u2019s look back at the end of the Derek Carr era, the other changes in New Orleans this year, and the best Saints picks for 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#previously-on-saints-from-hope-to-nope-to-a-new-pope\">Previously on SAINTS: From Hope to Nope to a New Pope<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#new-orleans-saints-offseason-review\">New Orleans Saints Offseason Review<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#profiling-kellen-moore-for-the-saints\">Profiling Kellen Moore for the Saints<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-kellen-moore-should-help-the-saints-offense\">How Kellen Moore Should Help the Saints\u2019 Offense<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#that-pesky-quarterback-competition-for-the-saints\">That Pesky Quarterback Competition for the Saints<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#defense-the-return-of-brandon-staley\">Defense: The Return of Brandon Staley<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#best-bets-for-the-2025-saints\">Best Bets for the 2025 Saints \u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"previously-on-saints-from-hope-to-nope-to-a-new-pope\">Previously on SAINTS: From Hope to Nope to a New Pope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In hindsight, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/nor\/2024.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2024 Saints\u2019 2-0 start<\/a> was probably a mirage built on some big play-action passes and taking advantage of some less-than-stellar opponents like the Panthers and Cowboys with the latter trailing by 20-plus points in every home game to start the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it felt like it could be believable after the hot 4-1 finish to 2023 for the offense. Still, all it took were some blown leads against the Eagles and Falcons for the Saints to fall back to 2-2, then quarterback Derek Carr was injured in Kansas City, his former nemesis, in a 26-13 loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We got to see rookie quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/spencer-rattler-118818\">Spencer Rattler<\/a> before we wanted to, and his throw put <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/chris-olave-110559\">Chris Olave<\/a> in a tough spot for a concussion that knocked him out of action against Tampa Bay, a game the Saints lost 51-27 at home. New Orleans also lost No. 2 receiver Rashid Shaheed, a big part of their explosive plays. While the defense was much healthier than the offense, it regressed and wasn\u2019t able to carry the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the losing streak reached seven games, Dennis Allen was fired and replaced by interim coach Darren Rizzi, which led to jokes that even the late Pope Francis was happy as he kept accidentally using the hashtag for the NFL team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Even the Pope is excited we fired Dennis Allen<\/p>&mdash; Jono Barnes (@JonoBarnes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JonoBarnes\/status\/1853793759659430325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">November 5, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Carr returned in Week 9, and there was a point where the Saints had a 3-1 run, but they were also beating the likes of the Browns and Giants. Carr\u2019s last game was Week 14 against New York as he never played another down after a shoulder injury. In fact, it was discovered in March 2025 that Carr\u2019s shoulder would require surgery and likely missing the 2025 season. So, he decided to retire, closing one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/derek-carr-retires-nfl-review-legacy\">more peculiar careers<\/a> in NFL history as one of the most prolific passers to never win a playoff game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One of Carr\u2019s strengths was supposed to be pulling games out in the fourth quarter, but the Saints registered zero fourth-quarter comeback wins in the 2023 or 2024 seasons \u2013 the only team in the NFL without such a win in this time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After their bye, the 2024 Saints finished 1-5, never scoring 20 points again. They finished 5-12, Rizzi took a special teams job with the Broncos, and Carr had his retirement in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, there\u2019s a new coach, a new quarterback, and even a new Pope in the Vatican. But he\u2019s a Bears fan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"new-orleans-saints-offseason-review\">New Orleans Saints Offseason Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Saints have a rookie coach and his new staff to contend with. They have the NFC\u2019s worst quarterback battle to decide before Week 1, but at least they have some uncertainty on their side as their young quarterbacks could be a surprise in Moore\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the dream, right? A Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator becomes the next great offensive whiz. But even in a winnable division, Moore has his work cut out for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"profiling-kellen-moore-for-the-saints\">Profiling Kellen Moore for the Saints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For those of us of a certain age, our first exposure to Kellen Moore was when he was the quarterback at Boise State where he was 49-3 as a starter on that blue turf. No, he wasn\u2019t the one who threw the hook-and-lateral play in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl to help eventually beat Oklahoma in overtime \u2013 that was Jared Zabransky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Moore helped continue the winning at Boise and was considered a smart, clutch player without the physical attributes (height and arm strength) to make it in the NFL at quarterback. He went undrafted in 2012, and he made his only appearances for the 2015 Cowboys, including a regular-season finale where he threw for 435 yards and 3 touchdowns in a loss against Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaching was likely always going to be his future in football, and that experience with Dallas helped him get hired on the coaching staff in 2018, serving as the quarterbacks coach to Dak Prescott and others under head coach Jason Garrett. Moore moved up to offensive coordinator in 2019, and over the next four seasons, he produced results with the Cowboys twice leading the NFL in yards gained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He helped Prescott become a much more prolific passer, but Prescott was also injured in 2020, and the Cowboys had no answers for the San Francisco defense in playoff losses in 2021-22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, Moore took the offensive coordinator job with the Los Angeles Chargers and a chance to coach Justin Herbert. The results were mixed as the Chargers had some of the most prolific rushing and passing games of Herbert\u2019s career there, so Moore showed he could attack in a variety of ways. But with a bad defense and injuries to Herbert, Mike Williams, and Keenan Allen, the Chargers finished 5-12 and wasted five go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter from Moore\u2019s offense, a single-season record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moore still wasn\u2019t getting enough head-coaching consideration in the NFL, so he took another offensive coordinator job with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/philadelphia-eagles-6671\">Eagles<\/a> in 2024, getting to work with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, an elite offensive line, and immediately incorporating a back like Saquon Barkley, who rushed for the most yards ever in a season when you combine the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result was a Super Bowl win with the Eagles scoring 95 points in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl against the Commanders and Chiefs. Philadelphia\u2019s defense no doubt deserves the most appreciation there as that unit came the longest way from 2023 and really led the way, but Moore did what he needed to and got the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why he\u2019s got the top job with the Saints now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-kellen-moore-should-help-the-saints-offense\">How Kellen Moore Should Help the Saints\u2019 Offense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you look at Moore\u2019s body of work as the offensive coordinator of three NFL teams, you see someone with a flexible, adaptive system that will cater to the talent he has instead of forcing square pegs into round holes. That\u2019s easier to do when you have the talent he had in his other spots, but chances are he\u2019ll find the right roles for what the Saints have to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Saints hired Doug Nussmeier as their offensive coordinator. While he\u2019s 54 (17 years older than Moore), he\u2019s basically been Moore\u2019s understudy, having followed him every step of the way since 2018 from Dallas to Los Angeles to Philadelphia to New Orleans. Let\u2019s hope this means they\u2019re great friends and work well together. Nussmeier was actually a quarterback for the Saints in 1994-97, and his son Garrett is the starter at LSU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this should be Moore\u2019s show, and if there\u2019s one common trait throughout all of his offenses, it\u2019s that he knows how to feed his No. 1 receiver the ball:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2019 Cowboys: Amari Cooper had 79 catches, 1,189 yards, and 8 touchdowns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2020 Cowboys: Amari Cooper had 92 catches, 1,114 yards, and 5 touchdowns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2021 Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb had 79 catches, 1,102 yards, and 6 touchdowns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2022 Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb had 107 catches, 1,359 yards, and 9 touchdowns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2023 Chargers: Keenan Allen had 108 catches, 1,243 yards, and 7 touchdowns (in 13 games)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2024 Eagles: A.J. Brown had 67 catches, 1,079 yards, and 7 touchdowns (in 13 games)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>An A.J. Brown injury was the only thing stopping the streak of 1,100-yard receivers for Moore. That\u2019s not to say Chris Olave will have 1,100 yards this year because of the decline the Saints are having at quarterback, but he should be heavily featured as the Saints\u2019 best weapon in this offense, and he had 1,042 and 1,123 yards in his first two seasons before concussions limited him to 400 yards in 8 games last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2226046916-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\" Chris Olave #12 of the New Orleans Saints \" class=\"wp-image-11199\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Derick E. Hingle\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If these young quarterbacks can avoid the hospital balls to these talented wideouts, the Saints can make plays all over the field as Shaheed\u2019s speed puts him on par with someone like DeVonta Smith from Philly. The Saints also brought Brandin Cooks back, and while he\u2019s past his prime, he could still be helpful as a WR3. The team also re-signed tight end Juwan Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/alvin-kamara-62600\">Alvin Kamara<\/a> returns at running back, and oddly enough, he had a career-high 950 rushing yards in 2024 despite the team\u2019s terrible quarterback situation and the trailing. He\u2019s a 30-year-old running back, which is like saying a 50-year-old actress in Hollywood, but maybe Moore can help him build on last year\u2019s success and he\u2019s still a reliable receiver out of the backfield. The Saints also have Kendre Miller and signed Cam Akers, the former Rams\/Vikings back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look, we know the offense was really injured last year. In fact, wide receivers Cedrick Wilson Jr. (35.3%), Mason Tipton (32.9%), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (31.0%), and Kevin Austin (29.7%) all played a higher percentage of offensive snaps than Olave (29.0%) and Shaheed (26.3%) did in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But let\u2019s not forget the offensive line also fell apart. Center Erik McCoy is the most-tenured player of that group since 2019, and he only played in seven games last year. Right guard Cesar Ruiz missed four games early in the season during the losing streak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Saints have now invested four first-round picks into their offensive line with new left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) taking over as the No. 9 pick. They just used last year\u2019s first-round pick on right tackle Taliese Fuaga, who will hopefully show improvement in Year 2 in a new offense. Then it\u2019s just a matter of getting the most out of the interior with McCoy, Ruiz, and Trevor Penning. Penning is battling turf toe and has to get better in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taysom Hill tore his ACL in Week 13 last year, so his return is unknown. So is his role as Moore may not be as enamored as Sean Payton and Allen were with the Swiss Army Knife. But he could be a useful player again when healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not a poor offense for a quarterback to step into by any means. It\u2019s not what Philadelphia has, but who really compares right now? Alas, it\u2019s the quarterback competition in New Orleans that has people souring on things even if Moore has pieces to work with around the quarterback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"that-pesky-quarterback-competition-for-the-saints\"><strong>That Pesky Quarterback Competition for the Saints<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The one nice thing about signing Derek Carr, even with all of his flaws, was that you at least knew he\u2019d be your starter. Now, the Saints enter 2025 with a quarterback battle between second-year player Spencer Rattler and second-round rookie Tyler Shough. Short of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/colts-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones in Indianapolis<\/a>, this might be the bleakest quarterback competition in the NFL today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1612904045-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Derek Carr #4 of the New Orleans Saints looks on during a preseason game at Caesars Superdome on August 13, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana.\" class=\"wp-image-11200\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But Richardson and Jones have multiple years of NFL disappointment on their resumes. Between Rattler and Shough, they have 6 real NFL starts under their belts combined. That element of surprise (or potential) is at least interesting enough to give them a chance to succeed before writing them off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of Rattler as the poor man\u2019s Patrick Mahomes. Okay, the poorest man you know. He\u2019s mobile, but he likely lacks the touch or consistency to deliver the ball as a weekly starter. Rattler got the best of Shough in Sunday\u2019s second preseason game after he led a game-tying touchdown and 2-point conversion drive in the final minute of a 17-17 tie. Rattler was 18-of-24 for 199 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and the nice 2-point conversion run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Spencer Rattler came up clutch in game 2 of the preseason:<br>&#8211; 18\/24<br>&#8211; 199 passing yards<br>&#8211; Game-tying TD and 2-point conversion <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CmKZV0PfSa\">pic.twitter.com\/CmKZV0PfSa<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1957171136673779973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 17, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the offense didn\u2019t find the end zone once with Shough, who was 9-of-12 for 66 yards. Last week in his NFL debut, Shough threw a pick-six against the Chargers, but he also made up for it by throwing a long touchdown pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moore insists the quarterback competition is very much open here, but let\u2019s consider some facts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rattler was just a fifth-round pick last year, a low investment, and this new coaching staff has no ties or allegiance to him.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shough was the 40th pick in the draft, and he\u2019s shown he can adapt to multiple new systems after starting for Oregon, Texas Tech, and last year at Louisville in his long college career.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shough isn\u2019t as mobile as Rattler, but he\u2019s not a statue either, and he has prototypical size at 6\u20195\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shough already turns 26 in September, making him one of the oldest rookies, and that usually hasn\u2019t gone well in NFL history.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It wouldn\u2019t be unprecedented for a fifth-round pick to start for his team in Year 2. The Washington Commanders just did it in 2023 with Sam Howell, though we\u2019d rather not mention how poorly that ended up going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rattler probably is further along in his development than Shough right now, and it wouldn\u2019t be the worst decision to go with him in Week 1. But given their difference in draft capital and Shough\u2019s age, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if the rookie gets the start in Week 1. It\u2019d be even less surprising if we saw both quarterbacks start games this season in New Orleans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not a competition anyone is running away with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"defense-the-return-of-brandon-staley\">Defense: The Return of Brandon Staley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We can\u2019t deny there\u2019s familiarity in the coaching staff this year, even if the dynamics are a bit weird. Not only has the new offensive coordinator been following Moore around for years, but new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley hired Moore as his OC with the Chargers in 2023 before Staley was fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Staley was viewed as this Fourth-Down Renaissance Man in 2021 when the Chargers hired him. Soon, we found out he\u2019s actually pretty conservative and not that great of a head coach. After the Chargers fired him, he spent last year as an assistant to Kyle Shanahan\u2019s 49ers, and let\u2019s hope that wasn\u2019t the reason they kept blowing leads in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Staley is back as defensive coordinator, the role he had his most success at with the 2020 Rams under Sean McVay. That\u2019s why it has to be a little weird to be working under Moore when the roles were reversed just a mere two seasons ago in LA. But in a perfect world, Moore must be thinking Staley can have a Vic Fangio-level impact on his defense as Staley coached under Fangio in Denver and sees defense in a similar fashion to Philly\u2019s guru who helped Moore to his ring in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like Moore on offense, Staley will adapt to the talent on his defense and play a variety of coverages that best suit the roster. He\u2019ll generally use light boxes to stop the run and prioritize pass defense. The Saints were 31st against the run in 2024, so that may not change much this year. But if it leads to more takeaways and better numbers against the pass, that\u2019s a trade-off Staley deems worthy, and he\u2019s probably not wrong about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Saints are relying on an older defense, and that\u2019s still true after safety Tyrann Mathieu, the Honey Badger, announced his retirement. They still have Cam Jordan up front, but at 36, he\u2019s more of a situational pass rusher at this point. The Saints brought in Jonathan Bullard (Vikings) for some edge-rushing depth, but it\u2019s more about Staley trying to unlock the full potential of former first-round picks like Chase Young and Bryan Bresee up front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Davon Godchaux comes over at defensive tackle from the Patriots in a trade. The linebackers are led by Demario Davis, another 36-year-old vet on this unit. But he\u2019s generally done an incredible job of staying healthy and still racks up over 100 tackles every season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the top two picks spent on offense, the Saints used their third-round selections on Texas defensive tackle Vernon Broughton and Virginia safety Jonas Sanker. Neither projects as a starter this year after the team signed veteran safeties Justin Reid (Chiefs) and Julian Blackmon (Colts), decent players who can replace Mathieu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At corner, the Saints traded Marshon Lattimore to Washington last season, so this will be their first full season without him. Defenses picked on Alontae Taylor a lot last year, but hopefully Kool-Aid McKinstry can have a bigger Year 2 after averaging 7.3 yards per target allowed in coverage as a rookie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t have the makings of a great defense with no proven stud in the secondary, some leaders closer to 40 than 30 in the front seven, and those first-round picks on the defensive line haven\u2019t hit as expected after multiple seasons. But it\u2019d be hard for things to get any worse than last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-widget-id=\"0.g1z7m7kkb65\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4427760\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-live-mode=\"true\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"best-bets-for-the-2025-saints\">Best Bets for the 2025 Saints &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No team has a lower preseason win total than the Saints at 4.5 games. The NFC South hasn\u2019t produced an 11-win team since 2021, so the division is not viewed as one of the strongest around, but the other three teams all look further ahead in their development than the Saints at this point, largely because of that unknown quarterback situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main question is can we find a handful of wins on that schedule for the Saints this year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Getting a split with the Falcons or Panthers is always possible with this team as it did so to both last year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The first Atlanta game is Week 12 in New Orleans after the bye week too, so that might be the best opportunity for a home division win.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Opening at home with Arizona in Week 1 is a winnable game even if the Cardinals have better high-end talent and a far more experienced quarterback in Kyler Murray, but it\u2019s not like he\u2019s known for winning games.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Saints host both New York teams with the Giants (Week 5) and Jets (Week 16) coming to the Superdome, though the Giants have had success in this building and the Jets should be better defensively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Saints will face a lot of young quarterbacks with Caleb Williams (Bears), Drake Maye (Patriots), and Cam Ward (Titans) all tentatively on the schedule to say nothing of four games against Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons) and Bryce Young (Panthers) in the division.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s hardly one of the toughest schedules this year, but Moore would probably deserve Coach of the Year if he pulled out a winning record with this team. Without much faith in Rattler\/Shough, it\u2019s hard to project the Saints to repeat last year\u2019s 5-12 record even if the schedule presents some opportunities for that. Remember, this team was 3-12 in its last 15 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the Saints had a better rookie prospect at quarterback, then maybe you could argue some regression with defensive takeaways and a few comebacks in the fourth quarter would help this team easily clear over 4.5 wins. Have to imagine the Saints fans will have a keen eye on what happens with Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland as the Saints were one of the top teams, maybe the No. 1 team, that could have drafted him but chose not to several times over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we\u2019re going to side with doubt this year and take the under 4.5 wins, and we\u2019ll also gladly take that over for Chris Olave\u2019s receiving yards as the best weapon in this offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: New Orleans Saints under 4.5 wins (+110) at FanDuel<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NFL Pick<\/strong>: Chris Olave over 825.5 receiving yards (-110) at bet365<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/texans-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Houston Texans 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: You Get Busy Living or You Get Busy Dying in the AFC South<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/colts-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Indianapolis Colts 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is That a Manning in the Draft to Save This Team\u2019s Bleak Future?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/jaguars-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Will the \u2018Duuuval\u2019 Dark Horses Win the AFC South Behind Liam Coen and Travis Hunter?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/titans-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Tennessee Titans 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Will Cam Ward Be Great Enough for Us To Remember the Titans?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/lions-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Detroit Lions 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Dan Campbell\u2019s Super Bowl Window Closing?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/vikings-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Minnesota Vikings 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: We Just Have to Choose Our Adventure with J.J. McCarthy This Year<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/packers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Green Bay Packers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Should We Trust This Team to Reclaim the Tough NFC North?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/bears-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Chicago Bears 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: How Fast Can Ben Johnson Change the Offensive Culture?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/ravens-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Baltimore Ravens 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Will Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh Ever Win a Super Bowl Together?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/steelers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Can Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin Turn the Clock Back to 2010 for Super Bowl Push?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/bengals-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Cincinnati Bengals 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Has Enough Been Done with the Defense to Save Zac Taylor\u2019s Job?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/browns-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Does Kevin Stefanski Survive This Quarterback Mess?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/rams-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Los Angeles Rams 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Sean McVay Primed for Another Super Bowl Run?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/seahawks-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Seattle Seahawks 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Sam Darnold Legit Now or Will Old Ghosts Keep Haunting Him?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/cardinals-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Year 3 the Charm for Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/49ers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">San Francisco 49ers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Does Kyle Shanahan\u2019s Talented Squad Have One Last Hurrah for a Super Bowl Run?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/raiders-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Las Vegas Raiders 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Reunion for Pete Carroll and Geno Smith in an Elite Division<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/broncos-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Denver Broncos 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Is Bo Nix the One Sean Payton\u2019s Been Waiting for?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/chargers-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Los Angeles Chargers 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Making Justin Herbert Modernized<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/chiefs-2025-nfl-season-preview\">Kansas City Chiefs 2025 NFL Season Preview and Picks: Time to Reinvent the Offense Again<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-quarterback-rankings\">2025 NFL Quarterback Rankings: This Is Still Patrick Mahomes\u2019 League<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-2025-schedule-release-top-stories\">NFL 2025 Schedule Release: The Top Stories to Follow on the Long Path to Super Bowl 60<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/2025-nfl-draft-recap-1st-round\">2025 NFL Draft Recap: A Shocking Travis Hunter Trade and a Shedeur Slanders Slide Highlight the First Round<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New Orleans Saints have fallen on some hard times, the kind you\u2019d expect when an NFL team loses the best quarterback (Drew Brees) and coach (Sean Payton) they ever had. But the Saints delayed some of the losing thanks to an expensive, aging roster full of veterans that may have even made the playoffs &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":11196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[778,46],"tags":[3906,47],"class_list":["post-11187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","category-nfl","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-nfl","article_type-discover","article_type-news","entity_type-competitor","inspiration-365s-articles","inspiration-planned"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11187"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11204,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11187\/revisions\/11204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}