The New Orleans Saints aren't a team with many expectations for the 2025 season. They have major quarterback questions, an aging defensive unit, and a lack of depth along their offensive line.
In a recent "hot takes" piece via Kyle Crabbs and Destin Adams, they bounce back and forth on some opinions regarding the entire NFC South. For the Saints, their prediction/take was not an incredibly positive one.
Instead, they lack any sort of belief in success for New Orleans in Kellen Moore's first year at the helm.
Hot take for the Saints
Hot Take: New Orleans finishes with the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft
Forgive me, New Orleans. I like a number of elements of what the Saints have at their disposal this year, including the offensive and defensive line makeup. But you have a rookie coach coming into the season with a giant question mark at quarterback and a lot of aging players with a lot of weight on their shoulders. Due to the cap restrictions of recent years, I don't think the depth is encouraging across the board, and injuries are an inevitable piece of the puzzle throughout a 17-game season.That, plus a wide receiver room that has major durability and health questions, could make the ability to play complementary football challenging for the Saints. The arrow is pointing up for the other three teams in the division, plus New Orleans draws the NFC West and the AFC East in 2025, pinning them into matchups with multiple teams that could have major advantages head-to-head with New Orleans. - Kyle Crabbs
Buying or out on this take: I'm buying all the stock I can
The Saints are in a tough spot on both sides of the ball. On offense, the most important position in football, QB, is gonna be a huge question mark. Will rookie Tyler Shough be given the starting job day one, will someone like Spencer Rattler create a legit competition for the job, or will neither impress and force them to make a move for a veteran elsewhere? And no matter who is under center, they are one Chris Olave injury away from having the worst pass catchers in the league.
On defense, their pass rush is led by an aging Cameron Jordan, who has regressed severely over the past two years, and the duo of Chase Young and Carl Granderson, who both had 5.5 sacks last season. In the secondary, they lost their top CB in Paulson Adebo to the New York Giants in free agency and will need Kool-Aid McKinstry to take a big step forward during his sophomore season. Even with those facts, the defense on paper is undoubtedly the strongest side of the ball for the Saints, but they will be learning a new scheme due to their coaching changes and look destined to be an average unit at best. That seems like a solid recipe to end up with the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. - Destin Adams
Both Crabbs and Adams don't particularly see a lot of "highs" for the Saints in a season where they are hoping some culture changes and a swap at the most important position help them make a massive jump.
NFC South expectations
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold a similar roster to the one they did a season ago, and the Atlanta Falcons have boosted their depth on the defensive side. As for the Carolina Panthers, they're looking at another season with Bryce Young at QB, who was impressive over the latter half of the 2024 season. They feel confident in him with an improved group of pass catchers and a more talented defensive unit than a season ago.
All in all, there is a lot of doubt for New Orleans - for good reason. If they find any sort of consistent success, there will be a lot more jaws dropped around the NFL world.
