These New Orleans Saints have the most to prove in their last six games

The New Orleans Saints did enough to keep their season alive despite being without several key players. This presents a great challenge but also great opportunities in the last six games of the season.

So which players have the most at stake, starting with a Week 13 showdown against the Rams? That’s the question we wanted to answer in the latest episode of the Inside Black & Gold podcast. In the end, we placed eight players (and three coaches) at the top of the list, four on offense and four on defense.

Listen to the full episode in the player above. Can’t see the embed? Click here.

Here is an overview of the players covered:

ATTACK

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1. RB Kendre Miller

OK, so when we say six games, from Kendre’s perspective it’s really five. He went on IR after Week 8 and cannot return until Week 14 against the Giants. I expect him to be ready to go at this point, and that the second-year pro will do something in his final five games that gives reason to believe there should be a Year 3.

On the bright side, Kendre has been productive when healthy. This year he was only able to get on the field for two games, but he managed his 9 carries for 58 yards (5.3 yards per carry). The explosive element of his game is clear and he should be a good complement to Alvin Kamara, who will definitely be needed. I still have high hopes for Kendre, hopefully he does something to prove me right.

2. MVS… or WR1?

When Marquez Valdes-Scantling signed in New Orleans, it had to be at least somewhat good because there was a clear opportunity. At this point, Rashid Shaheed was done for the year and he was an obvious option to take on the role. Then Chris Olave suffered a concussion that sent the third-year pro to IR. Rookie WR Bub Means is also there.

Enter MVS, who scored three touchdowns in the last two games, two of them from more than 40 yards away. One of my biggest questions when he was unceremoniously sent away from Buffalo was whether he could still physically do the job. It’s pretty clear he can.

The next question is whether this partnership of saints should be a full marriage. At this point, it seems likely that he will end up leading the Saints in receiving yards this year, which is a pretty crazy thing for a guy who only saw action in Week 9. A few more weeks like this and a long-term contract might just be on the table.

3. LG Nick Saldiveri

Remember when Nick Saldiveri skated with the 1s at the start of training camp? I do, and the saints did this for a reason. He ultimately lost that job to Lucas Patrick due to injury, and Saldiveri looked serviceable at left-back in his absence.

It’s hard to say at this point whether Patrick will reclaim his role when he’s healthy, but as long as Nick is around, he’s in contention for the future. The Saints liked the former Old Dominion star so much that they traded him in the 2023 draft. At the moment, left guard is the only position in OL that is still completely up for grabs. It would be nice to see Saldiveri take on this role through good play.

4. RT Trevor Penning

The fact that Trevor isn’t at the top of this list is an indication of how his season went. Perfect? Absolutely not, but he has become an asset in the run game and plays with confidence. For a man who was considered the clear favorite for what would torpedo the 2024 season, he’s come a long, long way.

However, there is still LOTS of time for something to go wrong. He has to make the landing. Difficult matchups lie ahead for the rest of the season, including the return to Lambeau, where everything seemed to fall apart in the third week of last year. Trevor would be the first to tell you that ultimately he is not where he should be. He may have turned the corner, but there’s still a long way to go before I feel like the right tackle position is set. He has to continue working on this path for the rest of the season.

DEFENSE

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1. CB1 Alontae Taylor

The coverage stats and PFF grades haven’t been great for Alontae this season, but that’s really not what I have in mind. On the outside corner, an eye test means a lot. When teams look at you and see a liability, you will be attacked. For better or worse, this has been the case with Alontae since he moved to outside corner. The results were mixed.

On the one hand, he racks up PBUs and there are some really excellent reps when he’s left on an island in man coverage. There were 4-5 times against the Browns where Jameis went at him, the throw was on target and the ball never had a chance to be completed. These repetitions alone are enough to show you that he has the tools to get the job done. The problem was the technical elements.

It was Taylor who fell victim to Jerry Jeudy on the 89-yard touchdown, failing to force an outside release and turning as the WR broke across his face and outran Taylor down the field. Jameis extended and found the fast WR on the slowly developing play. There was an error in reporting. Although these can be corrected, they are expensive. It looks like Taylor will be beaten by crosser and in-breaker. These require discipline, timing and trust. You have to navigate through traffic. Things aren’t going well. I also noticed that he gets into no man’s land a little too often in zone coverage. Eli Moore’s TD for the Browns was an example of this, with Taylor seemingly passing the WR to a safety who was out of frame.

He was also a little too penalty-happy, especially against the Falcons.

That being said, mistakes are bound to happen when you send a young DB out after focusing on nickel for nearly two seasons. The tasks outside are different and he will see many things for the first time. That’s why I can’t make a judgment after three games. The next three will be much more meaningful because I need Taylor to show he can make these corrections.

If he can do that, fantastic. I feel like I have a young CB1 in the making. Unless? Well, there are a lot of draft picks on the board that need to be decided. Tick, tick, tick.

2. DE Chase Young

Chase Young came to New Orleans as a big name with an even bigger frame who was expected to turn that pass rush into a more fearsome unit. This simply hasn’t happened often enough, but it’s not too late.

That big contract in free agency? DE needs numbers to get this or he’ll be back on the 1 year track. I think Chase has the ability to get things going and reach double-digit sacks (he’s currently at 3.5). Chase needs to do that to get out of the Saints’ price range for next season.

3. DE Payton Turner

Interestingly, Payton Turner is in a similar contract situation, but while Young is trying to prove he’s a star player and not just a role player, Turner wants to prove he can be exactly that for an NFL team: a quality contributor.

The first step on this issue is to stay healthy, which he has largely succeeded in doing this year. He has missed one game and has already surpassed the highest number of snaps of his career for a season. Interestingly, the Saints didn’t need him in any particular role. None of Chase Young, Carl Granderson or Cam Jordan missed a game or were even close to missing a game.

Nevertheless, his action is increasing. He has had his two highest snap totals on the defensive line in each of the last two weeks and has been one of the Saints’ more consistent rushers. He has two sacks this season, both strip sacks by Kirk Cousins ​​(neither recovered). I think it’s very realistic to expect Payton to come back in 2025 on a team-friendly deal, but it would be nice to see a few more clues to make it a little clearer why this is the right decision.

4. CB2 Kool-Aid McKinstry

This is a much more stress-free “Much to Prove” listing, and that’s only because Kool-Aid is given the kind of opportunity as the season progresses that no one really expected at the start of the season.

I don’t expect the issues to come to light and cost him down the line, but this is where he needs to establish a baseline so he can be expected to be a good starter down the road. Paulson Adebo did that in his rookie season and never really looked back.

If Kool-Aid can prove that he should be viewed by outsiders as a long-term starter, that’s fantastic. The Saints will likely draft another DB, but it won’t be a necessity. If he fails to do that, there will be a heated debate about whether he should be moved to the slot and the job should go to an experienced player. These six games will play a big role in this conversation.

BONUS

Trainer trio: Rizzi, Woods & Kubiak

All three names mentioned above are in different situations. For Darren Rizzi, it’s a chance to show he has what it takes to be an NFL head coach, whether in New Orleans or elsewhere. He’s already done what Dan Campbell did in Miami and won his first two games. The rest of his tenure was forgettable in that regard, but he was able to parlay that experience (and time with the Saints) into the Lions job, and it worked out well. This is a huge opportunity for Rizzi to show what he can do.

For Woods and Kubiak, the pressure is to prove that they should continue to take advantage of these opportunities. For Klint, this is the second time he’s been hired as an OC…but it could also be the second time this season is over after one season (Vikings 2021). He also finished the 2022 season in that role for the Broncos, although I don’t think anyone will hold that against him. Still, these opportunities don’t come along often. He has to prove that he has what it takes.

Woods is in a similar boat, although he has been coaching forever and was not hired to lead this group. If anything, Woods is training to be included in the trio. Even if you kept Rizzi and Kubiak beyond this season, wouldn’t you consider introducing a new DC? Woods needs to show that he has what it takes in this regard.

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