The New Orleans Saints finished the 2025 NFL season winning four of their last five games, ranking 11th in the NFL in EPA per dropback during that stretch. That late-season surge hinted at something bigger brewing for a Saints offense that struggled for most of the year.

The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen tabbed New Orleans as one of five offenses primed to break out during the 2026 season.

It all starts with second-year quarterback Tyler Shough as he proved better than expected as a rookie. Shough has a reliable No. 1 wide receiver in Chris Olave, and now has another promising wideout in first-round pick Jordyn Tyson flanking him. Offensive tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga are strong bookends to Shough’s offensive line that struggled protecting him from within.

Interior protection taking a leap is imperative for the Saints’ offense to truly break out, which is why the club’s top free agent signing is going to become so important.

Why David Edwards changes the equation for New Orleans

New Orleans prioritized signing left guard David Edwards from the Buffalo Bills in free agency to complete its o-line. Edwards was the consensus top G in free agency this offseason after he posted a career-best 75.0 pass block grade from Pro Football Focus last season. He’s also long been one of the more underrated run blockers at the position. Now he takes over to the right of Banks, who only surrendered two sacks in the second half of his rookie season. The two should form a sturdy left side of Shough’s line.

With free-agent signing David Edwards, the best guard available, the Saints’ offensive line has a chance to be very strong.

The reason Banks was drafted in the first round of last year’s draft is because the offensive line still needed significant work. Throughout the 2025 season, the Saints ranked 29th in pass block win rate, even with Banks and Fuaga on the field together. That’s a brutal number for a team trying to develop a young quarterback.

Edwards’ presence should go a long way in improving that ranking in 2026. With the left side now configured with Eric McCoy at center, Cesar Ruiz at right guard, and Fuaga at right tackle, the Saints have as complete an offensive line as they’ve assembled in years.

Rectifying last year’s mistake at left guard

The Saints struck out last offseason finding a quality LG. In-between Banks and McCoy were three different players throughout the season, and none of them were what the line needed.

Dillon Radunz started the first two games and then missed six games with a toe injury. His play upon returning wasn’t up to snuff. While he was out, former first-round pick Trevor Penning stepped in for a few games and was overwhelmed as well. He was out least better than former undrafted free agent Torricelli Simpkins III.

Edwards is light-years better than any of the LGs who tried protecting Shough last year. A young QB needs a consistently clean pocket to develop, and the entire offense can thrive because of it. 

Edwards can make Tyler Shough’s development worthwhile 

New Orleans is giving Shough a real chance at growth this year with a better line. He showed real promise last season when expectations were minimal. The offense’s performance over those final five weeks suggests the foundation is already in place for something better.

That Shough now has the protection he should need, along with Olave and Tyson at receiver, gives this offense pieces that could make it substantially better than the output from their first 12 games. The momentum from the end of the year should carry over and put the Saints back in the playoff picture for the first time since 2020.

So long as Shough gets the time he needs. Edwards will help make that a reality.