The [New Orleans Saints](https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/) are a week away from starting the season. After watching training camp and seeing Kellen Moore and his staff trim the roster to 53 players, it’s now time for the real games to begin. Before they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions in the opener on Sept. 13, The Times-Picayune Saints’ coverage team gathered around the round table to discuss what we’ve learned and what we expect in 2026.
**Q: What was the most pleasant surprise from training camp and the preseason?**
**Jeff Duncan:** I was pleasantly surprised by the quick development of rookie receivers Bryce Lance and Barion Brown. We all expected Jordyn Tyson to make an impact. But Lance and Brown were revelations as mid-to-late-round draft picks. Because of Tyson’s hamstring injury, both might see the field early this season. Time will tell if their success in camp will translate to the regular season, but both have shown flashes.
**Luke Johnson:** The run game was truly a disaster last season, which was disappointing given the investments the team had made in the offensive line and Kellen Moore’s track record as a play-caller. I think that will be different this season. Based on what I saw in the lead up to the season, Travis Etienne and David Edwards look like real difference-makers. Even a middle-of-the-road ground attack will make a world of difference for this offense, and I think they’ll get there.
**Matt Paras:** All three rookie wide receivers look ready to contribute. Before Jordyn Tyson suffered his hamstring injury, the first rounder gave people plenty of reasons to be excited and could be a real difference-maker when healthy. But it was also surprising to see how Bryce Lance and Barion Brown seemed to meet the moment, especially once Ja’Lynn Polk retired and Tyson went down.
**Rod Walker:** Replacing key pieces like Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor isn’t easy. But the acquisition of Kaden Elliss to plug in the hole left by Davis and moving Jonas Sanker to the star position to replace Taylor have been huge moves. The defense looks even faster in Year 2 under Brandon Staley. Chase Young looks on track to have a dominant season and this unit has a chance to be really special..
**Q: What was the biggest disappointment?**
**Jeff Duncan:** The pass protection from the offensive line was glaringly shaky at times during joint practices. I expected more from this unit, especially with the addition of David Edwards and the return of Erik McCoy.
**Luke Johnson:** The non-Jordyn Tyson version of this answer is pretty straightforward: We did not get a chance to see a single starter play a snap in the preseason. That may prove to be a genius move by the time the games start to play out — only two true starters will miss Week 1 because of injury. But it’s also opening the door for some pretty easy criticism of Kellen Moore and his staff if the Saints get off to a sluggish start against two of the better teams on their schedule in Detroit and Baltimore.
**Matt Paras:** I have serious questions about the Saints’ depth at corner. Martin Emerson could end up being a nice under-the-radar find from free agency, but I can’t shake the way the Los Angeles Rams went after him in the preseason. The Saints need Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley to stay healthy. It could get dicey quick without them.
**Rod Walker:** I’m not sure if disappointment is the right word, but the slew of injuries is a bit concerning. It started with Bryan Bressee tearing his ACL the first day of camp and the injury bug just never let up. Even the always reliable Cam Jordan is missing time with a hamstring injury. The running back room was decimated by injuries. Most of the Saints draft class has missed time at some point. Injuries are a part of the game, but there seemed to be more than normal this year. Kellen Moore should be hoping that the Saints got theirs out the way early.
**Q: What player who wasn’t on the roster last season will have the biggest impact this season?**
**Jeff Duncan:** Kaden Elliss has replaced Demario Davis in the middle of the Saints defense and the unit hasn’t missed a beat. In fact, he’s a better pass rusher than Davis at this stage of his career and has helped to fill the leadership void created by Davis’ departure. I will not be surprised if Elliss finishes second on the team in sacks behind Chase Young.
**Luke Johnson:** I love what I’ve seen out of Etienne, and I think the Saints are going to feed him the ball, so statistically he’s the answer. But the Kaden Elliss signing has a chance to be really fun on the defensive side of the ball. It’s not a one-for-one replacement of Demario Davis — Ellis brings a truly unique skillset that Brandon Staley is going to find a way to maximize, especially when it comes to adding some juice to their pass rush. Davis was still a very good player for the Saints at 36 years old last season, but Elliss will give them a new dimension.
**Matt Paras:** If he only misses four games, Tyson would be my pick. He’s not only the perfect complement for Chris Olave, but their overlap in terms of skill sets will put defenses on their toes. Now, can he still make an impact if his absence is seven games instead of four? I’m willing to take that risk. And so were the Saints.
**Rod Walker:** Etienne is the obvious answer. But I’m going with rookie Barion Brown here. He was drafted mostly for what he can do on special teams. He’ll have a big impact there. But he showed time and time again throughout camp that he can make some splash plays hauling in passes. He played under the bright SEC lights at Kentucky and LSU, so the moments won’t be too big for him. Getting a guy in the sixth round who can help on both special teams and as a receiver could make Brown one of the steals of the draft.
**Q: It all starts and ends with Tyler Shough. What are your expectations for him in Year 2?**
**Jeff Duncan:** Shough is poised for a breakout year if he can stay healthy. He looks more confident in his second season and has taken command of the team and locker room. He needs to take the next step and show he can lead the team against quality competition. If he does, the Saints should challenge for the NFC South Division title and playoff berth. We’ll know a lot more about Shough after the first two games of this season.
**Luke Johnson:** I expect him to force people to pay attention to him. It has been odd to hear or read some of the commentary from outside New Orleans about Shough’s rookie season. Despite the team’s successes down the stretch, the Saints were largely irrelevant on the national stage, and I think that caused some to underestimate Shough’s hand in pulling the team out of its spiral. This should be the season the rest of the football-watching public gets to really know Shough.
**Matt Paras:** Luke is on it. From a national perspective, Shough has the chance to make the Saints relevant in a way that they haven’t been since Drew Brees retired. I think there will still be some inconsistencies — can he cut down on the high number of sacks he took as a rookie? — but his highs will put people on notice. And if he does that, the Saints have a real shot at winning the division.
**Rod Walker:** A second-year quarterback with just nine starts under his belt is going to have some rough moments along the way. But the good will outweigh the bad, especially if the revamped offensive line can give him the time he needs to operate. There are still national media members who mispronounce Shough’s last name. Expect that to change this season as Shough makes a giant Year 2 leap.
**Q: The obvious answer to this one is Shough staying healthy. But other than, fill in the blank.**
**In order for the Saints’ season to be a success,\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.**
**Jeff Duncan:** The Saints’s running game has to improve or Shough will be forced to play hero ball every week and that won’t cut it. You can’t be one-dimensional on offense in this league. Etienne should be an upgrade in the backfield but I’m still not convinced this aspect of the team is that improved. I’m in “Show Me” mode until proven otherwise.
**Luke Johnson:** Kellen Moore’s secret sauce has to be a hit. The Saints went out and hired Moore because he has been one of the NFL’s best offensive minds for the better part of the last decade. Year after year, Moore delivered some of the NFL’s most consistent and explosive offenses. That was never really true last year, even when Shough was playing good ball toward the end of the season. That can’t be the case in 2026, especially considering the resources the Saints poured into their offense this offseason. Defense may win championships, but good offenses win games (of the 14 teams to make the playoffs last year, only three ranked outside the top half of the league in scoring). New Orleans won’t compete for anything meaningful if it’s hovering around 18 or 19 points per game again this season.
**Matt Paras:** The defense can’t regress. The Saints ranked third in defensive EPA over the last half of the season, but the quarterbacks they faced included Bryce Young, Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, Brady Cook, Cam Ward and a banged-up Baker Mayfield. That said, I don’t think their improvement was a fluke. And while Luke is right about the offense, the defense has a chance to be this team’s best strength. That can carry them to wins even if the offense hovers around average.
**Rod Walker:** The pieces are there. They just all have to stay healthy. Removing Shough from the equation, there are a few more players who have to stay healthy for the team to be good. Erik McCoy is the most obvious one for me. The Saints are so much better when McCoy is at center than they are when he’s not. I’d also put Chris Olave on the list of players they can’t do without. I’m confident in the defense. Improvement in the running game could be the difference in the unit going from good to great.
**Q: The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since the 2020 season. Will that drought end this season? Why or why not?**
**Jeff Duncan:** I guess I’m the lone dissenter here. While I’m high on Shough and think the Saints will be improved in several areas, the roster still is precariously thin at certain spot, including cornerback, defensive tackle and receiver. Any more injuries to those positions and the Saints could be scrambling. This team’s arrival feels like a year away.
**Luke Johnson:** Yes, because the Saints have pretty dramatically improved their offensive talent, their defense is still good enough to cause some headaches and their schedule and division are favorable. It’s a bit risky to go out on the limb and say this because so much of what should drive their success is new, but the quarterback and the head coach are the two most important factors, and I believe in both to get it done in a watered-down NFC South.
**Matt Paras:** Yes. Outside of the areas that the Saints addressed in the offseason, the NFL always sees a team go from worst-to-first in their division, and New Orleans is as good a candidate to accomplish that. It won’t happen without Tyler Shough making another jump, but that might have already happened. The quarterback has been lights out since joint practices started last month.
**Rod Walker:** If you had asked me this two months ago, I probably would have said no. But I’ve seen enough since camp started to think the Saints have enough firepower to win what will once again be a weak division. The Saints and Bucs will be battling for the NFC South crown. Originally I thought the Falcons would be in the mix, but they haven’t figured out their quarterback situation. The Saints have, which is why I have them edging out Baker Mayfield and the Bucs for the division title.