The New Orleans Saints' 2025 OTAs have been underway since last week. They're getting their work in under head coach Kellen Moore, and players have started to try to earn their role on either side of the ball for the upcoming season.
Even with some notable additions via the NFL Draft and free agency, the expectations are quite low for Moore's Saints squad this year. There is no doubting that.
NFL's power rankings don't believe in Saints
In a power ranking just after the 2025 NFL Draft, the NFL's social media account showed little faith in Kellen Moore's team for this season. They had dropped three spots to the 31st-ranked squad in the NFL.
We really must be prepared for Tyler Shough to be a realistic option to start the Saints' opener, or at least man the quarterback position for a decent chunk of the season. With Derek Carr's status very much up in the air, and the other QB options considered unknowns under Kellen Moore, Shough stands as the only one handpicked by the new head coach. Shough battled through a slew of injuries and forks in the road during his lengthy college career, but he finished on a high note with a strong season at Louisville. Whether what Shough did there can immediately translate to the NFL remains a major question. The Saints took some other draft stabs on talent in a see-what-sticks approach, and I can't say I hate it overall. But I also am not going to spend most of my offseason shouting indiscriminately at strangers about New Orleans' hidden upside for 2025. It could be a trying campaign in some respects. -- NFL.com
Sports books share that negative sentiment
Via Fanduel Sportsbook and DraftKings, neither have the Saints with a likely shot to win the NFC South. In fact, they are the long-shot to take the division crown on both platforms.
On FanDuel, the Saints are +1100 to win the division, not even close to the Carolina Panthers at +390. On DraftKings, the Saints are +1000 to finish in first in the NFC South, while they are -150 to finish in last.
Overall, while there is some excitement regarding a new chapter in New Orleans, the on-field expectations could not be much lower.
Many 2026 mock drafts have the Saints picking in the top five overall picks. If that's the case, a new quarterback could be on the horizon for Moore's team after just one season of the Tyler Shough/Spencer Rattler experiment in New Orleans.
