Katherine TerrellMar 4, 2026, 06:00 AM ET
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INDIANAPOLIS -- New Orleans Saints coach Kellen Moore embedded himself with the team's college scouting department for two weeks leading up to the NFL combine in Indianapolis.
Moore, the last head coaching hire of the 2025 cycle, didn't have much time to do that last spring when he was trying to hire a staff and evaluate the Saints roster.
"Right after the Senior Bowl I basically spent two weeks with Jeff [Ireland] and the scouting department," said Moore, who sat down with reporters at this year's combine. "So I've already gotten the first lap, first impressions of all these draft-eligible guys. It was a fun process to go through that because now that I'm kind of going through the free agency process on the back end, now I can kind of see both of 'em together."
The Saints had their entire scouting and coaching contingent at the combine, an event that allowed them to scout draft prospects and also meet with the representation of their own pending free agents such as Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan and Alontae Taylor.
With free agency set to kick off with the negotiation window opening on March 9 and the official start to the league year beginning March 11, here's what ESPN learned about the Saints while in Indianapolis:
Improving run game is a top priority
Moore mentioned areas he marked for needed improvement in 2026: Fewer penalties (the Saints had the 10th-most penalties with 118 counted against them); more explosive passing plays and finding ways to disrupt the quarterback defensively.
Improving the Saints' 28th-ranked rushing offense was highlighted as a major need as well.
"Certainly we've got to run the football better. That certainly dictates games in so many ways," Moore said.
The Saints have the No. 8 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and there will be speculation about whether Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love could be a target in the first round.
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Love, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the combine, said in an interview that he could envision the Saints using him in a similar way as they do Alvin Kamara, utilizing him as both a pass catcher and a rusher throughout his pro career.
After the run game, the more immediate priority is fixing the Saints' offensive line. New Orleans has first- and second-round picks invested in four of its offensive linemen but haven't found a permanent solution at left guard.
"We've got to figure out that guard spot for sure," said Moore, who noted multiple options in free agency.
Some of the top guards on the market according to ESPN's Top 100 free agents list include Pittsburgh Steelers guard Isaac Seumalo, 32; Los Angeles Chargers guard Zion Johnson, 26; and Buffalo Bills guard David Edwards, 29. Both Moore and Saints offensive line coach Brendan Nugent have worked with Johnson in the past.
The Saints have more flexibility with their salary cap situation in 2026 and won't have to do much work to get under the cap ceiling of $301.2 million. In a worst-case scenario where the Saints have four free agent contracts void (that would add $47.7 million in dead money to the cap), they would still only need to free up about $22 million to get cap compliant, something that can be accomplished with a few restructures.
New Orleans will be spending money in free agency in some way, it's just unclear whether that means adding one top free agent or several middle-tier free agents, as the team has done in recent years.
The Saints seem more likely to look at offensive line options than make a splash at wide receiver as they continue to negotiate with wideout Chris Olave on a new deal.
Derek Carr's future is still unknown
Carr, the former Saints quarterback, recently addressed the possibility of coming out of retirement on his podcast "Home Grown with David and Derek Carr."
The 34-year-old said he would return and play if he's healthy, but said it had to be for a team that had a possibility of winning a Super Bowl.
"Would I do it? Yes," he said. "Would I do it for anybody? Absolutely not."
Carr has a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning the Saints are restricted on which team they could send him to if he returns. As of combine week, New Orleans had not heard from Carr's representation or any team interested in possibly acquiring him.
Because Carr's situation is rare, a wide range of compensation would likely be considered if he chose to play for another team, but it could be in the range of a third- to fifth-round pick. The Saints hold the rights to the final two years of Carr's contract after he did not play in 2025.
Derek Carr went 14-13 with 40 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in two seasons with the Saints. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Futures of several veterans unclear
The Saints expect Taylor to test the market, which isn't a surprise given a recent post to his social media accounts that sounded like a goodbye. That would leave the nickel corner spot up for grabs heading into free agency.
The biggest questions for the team are what happens with Davis, Jordan and Taysom Hill. The Saints gave Hill, who was visibly emotional, some time after the season following what could be his final Saints home game. Whether Hill retires or plays in 2026 remains unclear, although his contract voids on Wednesday.
The Saints would like to re-sign Davis, although the 37-year-old has publicly remained neutral as he waits to see how free agency plays out.
Jordan has said he would like to finish his career with the Saints, but at a fair price after taking a paycut last year, while the Saints have not commented on potential negotiations for a 16th season.
Some of the players currently under contract still have unknown futures. The fate of third-year quarterback Spencer Rattler has been under question after he was benched for Tyler Shough, but the Saints haven't received calls about his trade value yet.
The Saints still plan to bring in another quarterback or two for camp. That number could include Hunter Dekkers, who was with the team last season and is developing in the United Football League, although nothing is set.
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The Saints have said they like Rattler, so bringing in a veteran behind Shough isn't a necessity.
"You could not ask for a better QB room to handle the dynamics of one guy starting another guy supporting him and then flipping roles," Moore said.
Kamara, who turns 31 in July, also has questions after he finished the past two seasons with an injury. His $18.5 million salary cap hit is one of the teams's highest. Kamara has $3 million of his $11.5 million base salary guaranteed, although it's unclear if the Saints plan to approach him for a pay cut like they have with other veterans in the past. If so, it's not a pressing priority for a team that's in relatively healthy cap shape.
"I love Alvin. We've got a bunch of veterans that we'd love to keep here ... Alvin's meant a lot to this place and I've had a great one year with him obviously," Moore said.
"Unfortunately it got cut short with the injury and so we're able to finish it where our team, I think, was finally starting to play a little bit better collectively. I think he would've been able to reap some benefits from that. So we'll let it take its course."
Coaching staff changes
The Saints didn't make many staffing changes after Year 1 with Moore, despite scrutiny regarding their special teams play. Coordinator Phil Galiano appears to be staying for a second season in the special teams role, although the Saints will likely need to address their punting situation and the unit as a whole.
Assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Saints added former offensive lineman Will Clapp as an assistant on Tuesday. They also hung on to one of the few staff holdovers from the Dennis Allen era, retaining wide receivers coach Keith Williams despite interest from former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and the Las Vegas Raiders.