BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — The 2026 NFL season is quickly approaching, and the New Orleans Saints are easing into a new era.
In this edition of News This Week, play-by-play commentator and “Voice of the Saints” Mike Hoss joined Bill Snyder to discuss where the Saints stand as they put the finishing touches on OTAs.
Will Alvin Kamara enter the season as a Saint?
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In an offseason where the Saints are expected to lose several players they once built around, runningback Alvin Kamara’s appearance at OTAs is a surprising one.
“His situation remains up in the air,” said Hoss. “The team’s been somewhat non-committal. They’re very positive when they talk about Alvin, but he typically works on his own in the offseason... I mean, kind of the different situation here is that this is the guy that’s on the roster, but there’s so much speculation after they signed Travis Etienne, you know? What’s his role? He’ll be 31 in July before camp. I don’t know, but it was good to see him. Everybody goes, ‘How did Alvin look?’ And I go, ‘[He doesn’t] look like he does in 2017, but he still looks good.’”
As veterans trickle out, who will step up?
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In March, the Saints lost veteran linebacker DeMario Davis to the New York Jets, signing a two-year deal worth $22 million. On top of that, longtime locker room leaders Cam Jordan and Taysom Hill seem to have one foot out the door. This leaves opportunity for new faces to step up, Hoss says.
“I think Jeff Duncan, the reporter here in New Orleans, talked to Kellen Moore about it,” described Hoss. “He asked him because you didn’t just lose key players — you lost captains, right?... So you don’t have those immediate locker room leaders. Will that happen organically? Will Kellen kind of nudge some people along? I think you’ve got Kaden Elliss, who, to me, is going to be one of those guys. We don’t know Cam’s situation. Cam’s a free agent. His situation is different than Alvin’s. I don’t think, God bless him, that we’ll see Taysom Hill. I think his house is for sale here. I think it is a change from a positional standpoint, but I think really more it’s ‘who’s going to be that guy?’ Because not everybody’s a vocal leader. Some guys are leaders just on the field. I think Kellen wants it to happen organically. I don’t think Kellen wants to go to a guy and go, ‘Hey, can you kind of be...?’”
Will Tyler Shough take the next step?
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) carries for a touchdown Sunday (Jan. 4) past Falcons...
Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) carries for a touchdown Sunday (Jan. 4) past Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker (11) in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)(Mike Stewart | AP)
Among the obvious names expected to take the reins is quarterback Tyler Shough, who is entering his sophomore season. The 26-year-old silenced several critics after taking over as the Saints’ starter in 2025, leaving staff and fans alike eager to see a full season of Shough under center.
“He’s a different cat,” said Hoss. “He’s the guy. He feels like the guy. He looks like the guy. He’s pushing the ball downfield where maybe last year might have been just, ‘I want a completion.’ He is in so much more control of being around this offense. Remember, Kellen last year didn’t get the job until after the Super Bowl. Everything was.... it wasn’t rushed, but it was all new, and I feel just that bit of experience for Tyler Shough? Immeasurable.”
Looking ahead to Week 1
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To start the season, the Saints will immediately be cast to the fire, facing both the Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens on the road in the first two weeks. Following the home opener in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans hosts the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football on the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ first game back in the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina.
“I think the most noticeable change of this camp and last year’s camp, at least in the planning stage, is the physicalness,” said Hoss. “You open up at Detroit, at Baltimore. I don’t know that you can play two more physical teams to open your season. On the road, by the way. And as of what we’ve been told — and it’s not definite in dates and stuff — the Saints are going to have a joint practice with Jacksonville prior to their preseason home opener. Then, they go to California, where they’re going to play the Rams and have a joint practice with Dallas first, and then a joint practice with the Rams a day later, and then play the Rams in a preseason game. That’s three joint practices and two preseason games in the span of nine or ten games. Wow. I’ve never heard of such a thing. That, to me, is a point to, ‘We need to be more physical. We need to be more ready.’”
The Saints conclude voluntary OTAs with their final session on Thursday, June 11. Mandatory minicamp begins on June 16.
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