New Orleans Saints' roster could be doomed sooner than later, according to ESPN analysis
The New Orleans Saints have a ton of veteran talent. Players like Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, Marshon Lattimore, and Erik McCoy headline their roster. We will see if those players can lead them back to the postseason. Many of their young players inexperienced or unproven. Recent ESPn rankings back that idea up, unfortunately. Aaron Schatz […]
The New Orleans Saints have a ton of veteran talent. Players like Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, Marshon Lattimore, and Erik McCoy headline their roster. We will see if those players can lead them back to the postseason.
Many of their young players inexperienced or unproven. Recent ESPn rankings back that idea up, unfortunately.
Aaron Schatz of ESPN broke down every roster in the NFL. He ranked the under-25 talent around the league. Check out some key info for the analysis here.
It's important to note that you don't need to have youth to be a current Super Bowl contender. But young talent establishes how much success a team is likely to have over the longer term. So here is our ranking of every NFL team by its talent under 25 years old for this season. All ages are as of Sept. 1, 2024. (We didn't do this exercise last year, so we went back and retroactively projected what the 2023 ranking would have been based on the same formula.) — Schatz
Saints ranked 30th in under-25 talent in the NFL
Oh, the Saints. Their salary cap shenanigans always leave them as one of the oldest teams in the league. Last year, they led the NFL in snap-weighted age. They were the oldest on offense, No. 2 on defense and No. 6 on special teams.
So the New Orleans list of under-25 talent includes just three players who started games in 2023. The best here is 24-year-old star receiver Olave, who has put up two straight 1,000-yard seasons since he entered the NFL. A.T. Perry, who will be the Saints' third receiver this season, is also 24. So is free safety Jordan Howden, and that does it for guys who started games.
Last year's first-round pick, Bryan Bresee (22), is still a valuable player despite not getting starts. The Saints also have this year's draft picks, led by first-round offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (22) and second-round cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (21).
— ESPN
Schatz makes some fair points. His data is based on purely age, anyway. Players like Davis and Mathieu had one of their best seasons in 2023. In the long-term, their outlook is iffy, but 2024 can still be a great year for those vets.
As for years down the road, it is tough to highlight who will truly be stars for New Orleans.
Chris Olave has that ceiling. Taliese Fuaga may be a cornerstone offensive tackle. Bryan Bresee and Chase Young may be key pieces for multiple years on the Saints defensive line if both stick around. Derek Carr is a veteran that may make strides with new OC Klint Kubiak and prove to be a QB that can win in the postseason.
Truly, only time will tell. That being said, the Saints' aggressive cap space plan has certainly placed plenty of pressure on older players and the coaching staff in 2024.
Looking down the road may cause some anxiety for fans, but that has been the case for years as the Saints maneuver the cap in unique ways in their front office.
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