In 2023, the Saints missed the playoffs for the third time in a row. This should make a lot of people’s seats uncomfortable in the company, but these three are the most affected.
Wednesday saw the New Orleans Saints announce the re-signing of veteran S. Johnathan Abram. The squad re-signed S. Ugo Amadi just one day before this.
As one of the top defensive coaches in the game, head coach Dennis Allen Allen doesn’t receive nearly the recognition he merits. The Saints’ defence was the weakest in the league when he joined in 2015, but he was able to rebuild it into a strong one. The Saints have placed in the top 10 in scoring defence five times while he has been in charge, including an eighth-place showing in 2023.
But as a head coach, his defensive prowess hasn’t translated. In more than four seasons, he has a 24-46 record, which includes a 16-18 mark in 2022–2023 with the Saints. Although he just finished with a 9–8 record, a postseason appearance is probably necessary to ensure that he stays in New Orleans into 2024.
Derek Carr, a quarterback
The following are some significant statistics from Saints quarterbacks who have started most of the previous two seasons:
Option A: 228.1 yards per game, 97.7 passer rating, 56.5 QBR, 68.4% completion percentage, 4.6 percent touchdown rate, and 1.5 percent interception rate
Option B: 205.1 yards per game, 95.2 passer rating, 53.1 QBR, 66.7 percent completion percentage, 4.8 percent touchdown rate, and 2.4 percent interception rate.
Andy Dalton, the backup quarterback for the Panthers, is Option B, and Carr is Option A. That Carr, who inked a four-year, $150 million contract this offseason, has figures that are only marginally better, is a little alarming, isn’t it?
The Saints’ offence became somewhat better in the red zone and performed worse on third downs even though they finished tenth in 2023 (23.6 points per game) in terms of scoring. In 2023, New Orleans’ percentage of red-zone possessions that resulted in touchdowns increased from 52.1 percent two seasons prior to 53.3 percent.
Fans won’t beg for Carr’s backup after signing quarterback Nathan Peterman earlier in the offseason. To silence the boos from the crowd when he enters the field, he still needs to be better than an upgraded Dalton.
Trevor Penning, offensive tackle
The Saints will pick offensive tackle Olu Fashanu at No. 14 in the upcoming draft, according to recent mock selections by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, who both benched Penning last season. It’s reasonable to say that as the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft begins his crucial third season in the league, pressure is mounting.
Due to a foot injury, he missed the majority of his debut season and had a very difficult 2023. Penning gave up three sacks and a total of 14 pressures in five starts. After Week 5, he was benched; however, he had to play in Week 6 because of an injury. From Weeks 7 through 17, he played in just 13 games.
