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.

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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.