The NFC South is one of the most wide-open divisions in all of football. With the addition of Derek Carr, the New Orleans Saints will consider themselves among the favorites to win the divisional crown.
Carr has the luxury of playing with one of the most talented running back duos in the game: Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams, as well as a strong defensive unit.
With the NFL Draft over and mini-camp quickly approaching, here's how the Saints starting lineup looks at the start of the summer.
New Orleans Saints depth chart
Backfield
QB: Derek Carr
In the two seasons since Drew Brees' retirement, the Saints have started five players at quarterback. Derek Carr finally gives the franchise stability at the position.
RB: Alvin Kamara
Simply put, Alvin Kamara has been a different player since Brees' retirement. Kamara has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over the last two seasons, a full yard less than his first four years in the league.
He now faces significant competition from free agent signing Jamaal Williams, who led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022. Alongside Williams poaching touches, Kamara faces a possible NFL suspension due to off-the-field issues.
Receivers
WR1: Chris Olave
WR2: Michael Thomas
WR3: Rashid Shaheed
TE: Juwan Johnson
Chris Olave was the saving grace last year for a group that largely underwhelmed. Olave surpassed 1,000 yards receiving, doubling the total of the next closest pass-catcher — Juwan Johnson — who finished with 508.
The perennial question remains whether Michael Thomas is healthy enough to make an impact, something he has not done since the 2019 season.
Offensive Line
LT: Trevor Penning
LG: Andrus Peat
C: Erik McCoy
RG: Cesar Ruiz
RT: Ryan Ramczyk
An injury-prone, inconsistent offensive line was central to much of the Saints' offensive struggles a year ago. New Orleans did not make any major additions along their offensive line. But now that this group of blockers is healthy, the Saints should have less to worry about in 2023.
Defensive Line
DE: Cameron Jordan
DT: Nathan Shepherd
DT: Khalen Saunders
DE: Carl Granderson
This stout unit lost David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, and Marcus Davenport through free agency. The Saints signed Shepherd and Saunders as replacements.
First-round pick Bryan Breese and second-rounder Isaiah Foskey find themselves with the reserves for the time being. However, they will surely see a significant number of snaps this season.
Linebackers
LOLB: Pete Werner
MLB: Demario Davis
ROLB: Zack Baun
Davis is the star of this unit, earning four consecutive All-Pro nominations. The big question mark here is the other outside linebacker position.
Kaden Ellis, who finished second on the team with seven sacks, is now with division rivals Atlanta. Replacements Zach Baun and Ryan Connelly have very little starting experience. Lack of depth is a serious concern at linebacker.
Secondary
CB: Paulson Adebo
SS: Tyrann Mathieu
FS: Marcus Maye
CB: Marshonn Lattimore
Looking at this lineup, it is no wonder that the Saints finished last season as the NFL's second-best passing defense. Lattimore and Mathieu are perennial Pro-Bowlers, while nickel-backs Bradley Roby and Alontae Taylor round out an impressive quartet of corners.
Special Teams
PK: Wil Lutz
P: Blake Gillikin
LS: Zach Wood
KR/PR: Rashid Shaheed
After a run as one of the top kickers in the NFL, Lutz had a down year in 2022, hitting a career-low 74.2% of his field goals — far below his 86.6% average previously.
There could also be an interesting battle brewing at the punter position. Blake Gillikin has been solid in his first two years with the Saints, but Lou Hedley, a 29-year-old rookie from Australia, has a big leg and could make some noise in training camp.