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For a fourth straight season, the New Orleans Saints failed to make the playoffs. Still, this past season was a disaster. After starting 2-7, they fired Dennis Allen. They would finish the year 5-12, which was their lowest amount of wins since 2005, the year before Drew Brees and Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans. The Saints would hire Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their new head coach. Now Moore needs to get the most out of their roster. These are the three underrated sleepers who could break out for the Saints in the 2025 NFL season.
The 2024 season was a disaster for the Saints. By the end of the season, players such as Chris Olave and Derek Carr had both been injured. The Carr injury would lead to his retirement this offseason. While they started 2-0, they would lose seven straight, leading to the firing of their head coach. They would then win three of their next four, before ending the season on a four-game losing streak.
As the core of the team that was a consistent playoff contender is mostly gone, a new group of players is ready to step up. There are plenty of players on this team who could make an impact this year, and these are the ones that need to if the Saints are going to contend again this year.
A rookie makes an impact in New Orleans
With the retirement of Derek Carr, the Saints are in a precarious quarterback situation. They have Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener on the roster from last season, but it is a rookie expected to get the starting job in Tyler Shough. Still, he is not the rookie who will be making the surprise impact this year. That is sixth-round pick Devin Neal. Neal has already shown he could be an impact rookie for the Saints, even before training camp has begun.
To start with, he is not going to take the starting job from Alvin Kamara, but he will be an impactful complement. Kamara will be 30 years old when the new season begins, and is coming off a career high in rushing yards. Further, he carried the ball 228 times last year, the second most of his NFL career. He also had 68 receptions last season. Further, Kamara played in just 14 games and has missed time in each of the last seven seasons. The Saints need a quality second back that can step in when needed, but also complement Kamara being a short-yardage, inside running back.
The expectation was for Kendre Miller to be that complement, but has has struggled in his NFL career. Miller has played in just 14 games over two years, playing in less than half the available games due to injury. Further, he has averaged just 3.8 yards per carry while scoring just twice. Neal averaged 5.7 yards per carry in college while scoring 16 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons. Neal will be the perfect complement to Kamara and will break out before the end of the season.
The Saints have a new defensive star
The Saints traded away Marshon Lattimore last season, and then Paulson Adebo left in free agency. This means New Orleans needs a new star in the secondary this season. With both corners who started last season as the starting cornerbacks now gone, the Saints need to find a stud replacement. They have that player on their roster. Kool-Aid McKinstry was a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft and has already shown to be a quality defensive back in the NFL.
McKinstry was solid last year. He had 42 tackles last season, including two tackles for a loss. He was also sixth on the team with six pass breakups, but he did not have an interception last year. He was also reliable last year, playing in 15 games and nearly every snap when he was active. McKinstry allowed a catch rate of just 57.9 percent while having a coverage grade of 67.1.
McKinstry will also be helped out by new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Staley has primarily used a man-to-man scheme in his coaching career. This is a similar scheme design to what McKinstry played in during his college years, and he will be able to adapt to it quickly. McKinstry was solid as a rookie, but this is the year he breaks out into something more.
A potential 2024 breakout candidate finally hits his stride
Injuries derailed the season for the New Orleans Saints. Chris Olave played in just eight games last year, while Cedrick Wilson Jr. led all wide receivers in games played with 15. The Saints did bring in Brandin Cooks this offseason. Still, Cooks will be 32 years old at the start of the season, and has not seen over 60 catches or over 100 targets in the last three seasons. He is not the same player who left the Saints after the 2016 season.
Last season, expectations were high for another Saints wide receiver, but Rashid Shaheed suffered a season-ending injury. He was solid in his rookie season, playing in 12 games and bringing in 28 of 34 targets for 488 yards and two touchdowns. He would make a jump in his second season, coming away with 46 receptions on 75 targets for 719 yards and five touchdowns. The expectation for Shaheed was continued improvements, and he was showing that early on. In his first six games, he had 20 receptions on 41 targets for 349 yards. That gave him 17.5 yards per reception, the most of his career. He was also outpacing Olave in terms of targets and receptions early in the season. Shaheed was on pace for nearly 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns before the injury.
With the Saints going to be having a young quarterback, they need a reliable wide receiver to break out. So far in his career, Shaheed has shown to be that. If he can pick up where he left off before the injury in 2024, he will have a great year. The Saints have had just one 1,000-yard receiver since 2020, and they will have another one this year as Shaheed breaks out in a big way.
