MORSE: Week 6 Preview of New Orleans Saints
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Coming into the Off-Season workouts, things had such a different feel compared to where the Saints were at this time last year. This from Warren Sharpe “Last year, I was excited to see what Derek Carr could produce with new OC Klint Kubiak. As I wrote in the 2024 Saints chapter: ‘anticipate ample amounts of multi-TE sets and creativity with heavy personnel, which will suit Carr’s preferred style of play quite well.’ Indeed, the pairing was ideal for Carr.”
Then disaster struck. Injuries decimated the Saints. The Saints brought in Kellen Moore as Head Coach. They renegotiated Derek Carr’s contract to be more cap-friendly. Then, the shocker. Carr couldn’t raise his arm above his head and needed corrective surgery for a Labral tear and degenerative Changes to his Rotator Cuff. Shockingly, Carr announced his retirement in May.
That left the Saints in a huge lurch and devoid of an NFL-caliber starting QB. Knowing the 11-year veteran was having shoulder issues, the Saints drafted QB Tyler Shough in the second round of the draft, much higher than anyone had predicted. You might even call it a desperate reach. Shough is not ready to play in the NFL, and the Saints are having to rely on 2nd Year QB Spencer Rattler.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| QB | Spencer Rattler | Taysom Hill | Tyler Shough | – |
| RB | Alvin Kamara | Kendre Miller | Devin Neal | – |
| WR | Chris Olave | Devaughn Vele | Bub Means IR | – |
| WR | Rashid Shaheed | Mason Tipton | Trey Palmer IR | |
| WR | Brandin Cooks | Ja’Lynn Polk IR | – | |
| TE | Juwan Johnson | Taysom Hill | Foster Moreau | Jack Stoll |
| LT | Kelvin Banks Jr. | Asim Richards | Barry Wesley IR | Landon Young IR |
| LG | Trevor Penning | Dillon Radunz | Nick Saldiveri IR | |
| C | Erik McCoy | Luke Fortner | Will Clapp IR | |
| RG | Cesar Ruiz Q | Torricelli Simpkins III | Xavier Truss | |
| RT | Taliese Fuaga |
Rattler originally attended Oklahoma and was named the starting QB in his Redshirt Freshman season. Starting his second season, he was originally the starter but was benched later in the season and replaced by eventual 2025 #1 pick Caleb Williams. He decided to transfer to South Carolina for his final two seasons. In his career, he threw for 10,807 yards, a completion percentage of 68.5 %, 77 TD / 32 INT. The 6’, 211-pound QB reminds me a little bit of Doug Flutie or Drew Brees. Rattler is mobile and has only been sacked 9 times. His stats for this season through 5 Games, 67.2%, 990 yards, 5.6 YPC, 1 INT, 2 Fumbles. He will scramble and run. Against Buffalo in week 4, Rattler ran for 49 yards. Rattler gets rid of the ball quickly with an average of 2.63 seconds, which is 4th fastest in the league. That is the reason for the low number of sacks. Expect the Patriots to play more zone against Rattler and make him beat you. I also believe they will employ a spy to ensure that he doesn’t run. Rattler was 0-10 before his first win in the NFL last week against the NY Giants.
Expect to see some of Taysom Hill as a wildcat QB. Hill will not likely pass, but he can do it. He would be a replacement for short yardage as well. Hill will also play some TE to utilize his athleticism and 4.45 speed.
Alvin Kamara is the lead running back for the Saints. The 30-year-old, 8-year veteran was drafted by New Orleans in the 2017 Draft, 3rd Round (67). The 5’10” 215-pound back was selected 2-time All-Pro second team and 5-time Pro Bowl pick. Through 5 games he has run for 283 yards, a 3.9 YPC, 1 TD and 56.6 yards per game. Stopping Kamara is a priority, and considering the Patriots’ Run Defense is ranked 4th best, giving up just 85.6 yards per game, they should force New Orleans to be one-dimensional. Kendre Miller is the backup and a very good runner. The 6, 220-pound back out of TCU was a third-round pick (67) of New Orleans in the 2023 draft. He has carried the ball 80 times in two years for a 3.8 YPC. On the limited sample size, he hasn’t fumbled in two seasons, so far.
The Saints drafted Devin Neal, a highly decorated college player from Kansas. The local Lawrence, Kansas, High School star stayed home and was rewarded with starting eight games as a true freshman. He gained 707 yards that year. He went on to have three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. For his career, he had 4,343 yards, 5,7 YPC, and 49 TDs. He has a lot of mileage on his tires and ran a pedestrian 4.58 40-yard dash, and the fact that this draft was loaded with running backs is why he lasted until the 6th round.
Wide Receivers are led by Chris Olave. The Ohio State product had a brilliant career in college and was a 1st round pick (11) in 2022 by New Orleans. The 6’ 187-pound receiver is slight and has suffered 5 concussions since he started playing in college. For the season, he has 33 receptions on 54 targets and is clearly Rattler’s favorite target. Olave flashed 4.39 speed at the combine and can take the top off any secondary. Rashid Shaheed is the number 2 receiver and a dynamic deep threat. He went undrafted in 2022 and was signed to the Practice Squad. In 2023, he was selected 1st Team All-Pro as a Punt Returner and was also selected to the Pro Bowl. The 6’ 180-pound receiver played at Weber State. This season, he has 22 receptions on 30 targets. Former Patriots Brandon Cooks is still kicking. The 32-year-old, 5’10”, 190-pound receiver was drafted in the 2014 Draft 1st round (20) by New Orleans. For the season, he has 12 catches on 16 targets. DeVaughn Vele was acquired from the Broncos at the end of Training Camp. A big target at 6’5”, 210 pounds, the Utah product was a 7th round pick (235) by Denver in the 2024 Draft. Vele only has 4 catches on 5 targets.
Juwan Johnson leads the TE room. The 6’4”, 231-pound Penn State and Oregon product leads the TEs in receptions with 8 on 11 targets for 76 yards and a TD. He will be a problem for the Patriots’ secondary, who have had a hard time covering TEs all season. Taysom Hill is a jack of all trades as a QB,TE, RB and WR. The “Mormon Missile” stands 6’2”, 221 pounds, and played QB at BYU. Originally signed by Green Bay in 2017, he played 3 games in the Pre-Season. He was cut and claimed off waivers by New Orleans. The 8-year veteran ran a 4.44 40 yard dash, excellent for a QB/RB/TE/WR. He can also throw and will play as a Wildcat QB. He holds a distinct record for the most TDs (7) in a single season without a turnover by a QB (2019). Foster Moreau is a blocking TE out of LSU. The 6’4” 250-pound TE was drafted by Las Vegas in 2019 Draft, 4th round (137). He played 4 years for the Raiders before signing as a Free Agent in 2023 with New Orleans. Last week was his 1st game off the PUP list and wasn’t targeted. Jack Stoll is the 4th TE and he has played all 5 games. He has 4 catches on 5 targets. The Nebraska product stands 6’4”, 247 pounds, and went Undrafted in 2021.
The Offensive line is led by Left Tackle Kelvin Banks. The rookie LT selected 5 picks after Will Campbell, is one of four 1st round picks to start on the Saints Offensive Line. The 6’5”, 305 lineman out of Texas was the 9th pick in this year’s draft. He was an All-SEC selection last year and the Outland Trophy winner. Banks’ PFF grade is 60.5, good for 52nd out of all Tackles.
Trevor Penning is the Left Guard at 6’7”, 325-pounds. He played at Northern Iowa and was 2022 1st round pick (19). His PFF grade is 54.3 good for 64th amongst Tackles. Erik McCoy is their highest rated lineman. At 6’4”, 303-pounds, the Texas A&M product was selected in the 2019 draft 2nd round (48). His PFF grade is 70.5 good for 9th amongst Centers. Cesar Ruiz is a 6’4”, 316-pound Center turned into a Guard. He played at Michigan next to Patriots Mike Onwenu. He was selected in the 2020 Draft 1st round (24). PFF gave him the best Pass Blocker grade for a Center when he came out for the draft. His PFF grade is 45.4 good for 92nd amongst Guards.
Taliese Fuaga was a player the Patriots were interested in last year’s draft. The 6’6” 324-pound Tackle played at Oregon State. He was selected in the 1st round (14) of the 2024 Draft. His PFF grade is 60.4 good for 54th amongst Tackles. Last season his PFF grade was slightly above mid-point, which is actually very good for a rookie. His grade was slightly better than Vederian Lowe’s for comparison. Primary backup is Dillon Radunz a big 6’6”, 301-pound Guard / Tackle out of North Dakota State. He was taken by Tennessee in the 2021 draft 2nd round (53). New Orleans has committed a heavy amount of draft capital on their Offensive Line. They are young and all were taken within the top two rounds. Outside of McCoy, they are mediocre.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| LDE | Cameron Jordan | Jonathan Bullard | – | – |
| LDT | Davon Godchaux | Khristian Boyd | ||
| RDT | Bryan Bresee | Nathan Shepherd | John Ridgeway III IR | Vernon Broughton IR |
| RDE | Carl Granderson | |||
| WLB | Demario Davis | Danny Stutsman | Isaiah Stalbird | – |
| MLB | Pete Werner | Jaylan Ford | – | – |
| SLB | Chase Young Q | Chris Rumph II | Jonah Williams | |
| LCB | Kool-Aid McKinstry | Michael Davis | ||
| SS | Justin Reid Q | Jordan Howden | Ugo Amadi | – |
| FS | Jonas Sanker | Terrell Burgess | Julian Blackmon IR | |
| RCB | Alontae Taylor | Rejzohn Wright | – | |
| NB | Isaac Yiadom Q | Quincy Riley | – |
You have to start with Cameron Jordan and the remarkable career he has had in New Orleans. The 36-year-old LDE is entering his 15th season, all with New Orleans since being drafted in the 1st Round (24) of the 2011 Draft. The 6’4”, 287-pound lineman played at California. He has been selected 1st Team All-Pro in 2017 and twice as 2nd Team, while making 8 Pro Bowls. His PFF Grade is 67 good for 65th. He has 15 Tackles and 2.5 Sacks. Former Patriot Davon Godchaux plays the LDT position. The 6’3”, 330-pound lineman played very solidly for 4 years. The LSU product was drafted by Miami in the 2017 draft’s 5th Round (178). His PFF grade is very low, 34.7 which ranks him 179th. In 5 games he has 5 Tackles and 0 Sacks.
Bryan Bresee is a 6’5”, 305-pound DT who played at Clemson. He was drafted by New Orleans in the 2023 1st round (29). His PFF grade is 68.9 good for 43rd. He has 10 Tackles and 1 Sack so far this season. RDE is Carl Granderson. The 6’5” 261-pound DE played at Wyoming and went Undrafted in the 2019 Draft. The reason he went Undrafted is that he had a pending Court case for Sexual Battery, in which he was found guilty. He spent time in jail, which delayed his attendance in New Orleans. He missed all of the Training Camp and Off-Season workouts. His PFF Grade is 61.5 good for 87th. He has 26 Tackles and leads the team with 4.5 Sacks.
SLB is supposed to be Chase Young. The off-injured pass rusher is listed as Questionable again for Sunday. He has missed the first 5 games with a calf injury and was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He made a statement that he was “hopeful” of playing against the Patriots. I have my doubts. In the first 5 games, Chris Rumph was his replacement. The former Duke Blue Devil stands 6’5” 244-pounds and was drafted in the 20214th round (118) by the Los Angeles Chargers. He has a 71.2 PFF Grade which is good for 47th amongst Edge players. He has 16 Tackles and 1 Sack this season.
The linebacker corps is led by another 36-year-old veteran, Demario Davis. The 13-year pro stands 6’2”, 248 pounds. He was drafted in the 2012 Draft, 3rd Round (77) by the NY Jets. PFF has given him a 82.1 Grade, good for a true rating of 9th in the league. With 48 Tackles, he leads the team, but has 0 Sacks.
Pete Werner, a highly decorated Collage player at Ohio State mans the ILB position. The 6’3” 242-pound LB has a low PFF grade of 44.9 which is 122nd amongst LB in the league. On the season he has 41 Tackles and 1 Sack.
Who has the coolest name in the league … Kool Aid McKinstry! The former Alabama star stands 5’11” 199-pounds. He was selected by New Orleans in the 32nd round (41) of the 2024 Draft. On the season he has 20 Tackles and 2 INTs (both last week). His PFF grade is 59.4, good for 99th.
Justin Reid plays Strong Safety. He stands 6’1”, 207-pounds and played at Stanford. In the 2018 Draft he was selected in the 3rd round (68) by Houston. Reid is a 2x Super Bowl Champion while playing for the KC Chiefs. His PFF grade is 53.5 good for 108th. His season stats are 18 Tackles 0 Sacks and 0 INTs. Reid is in Concussion Protocol but is expected to play on Sunday.
Jonas Sanker the Free Safety is having an impressive year. The 6’1” 211-pound DB out of Virginia was selected in the 3rd round (93) in this year’s draft. His PFF Grade is 70.3 good for a true ranking of 9th among all safeties. On the season he has 23 Tackles 0 Sacks and 1 INT. Sanker will always be linked to Marshon Lattimore whom the Sants traded to Washington to acquire the pick they used to take Sanker.
Alontae Taylor is the RCB. The Tennessee product stands 6’ 199-pounds. In the 2022 Draft he was selected in the 2nd round by New Orleans. His PFF Grade is 65.4 which is 51st amongst CBs. For the season he has 22 Tackles 1 Sack and 0 INT.
Isaac Yiadom is listed as the Nickle Back. However, he was listed as Questionable and did not participate in practice on Wednesday or Thursday with a Hamstring Injury. The 6’1” 188-pound DB out of Boston College and Doherty HS in Worcester was a 2018 3rd Round (99) selection by Denver. Yiadom has played for 6 different teams before signing with New Orleans this season. His PFF grade is 49.2 good for 134th amongst CBs.
For the season he has 16 Tackles and 0 Sacks or INT. With the uncertainty of Yiadom and Reid playing, I will list two backups that could end up playing significant roles in the game. Quincy Riley is a 5’11”, 195-pound CB from Middle Tennessee State and Louisville. He was selected by New Orleans in this year’s Draft 4th Round (131). On the season heh as 7 Tackles and 0 Sacks or INTs. His PFF grade is 65.9 good for 48th. As the Nickel Back he could end up matched against Stephon Diggs in the slot. Jordan Howden has been asked to fill in at Safety. The 6’ 209-pound Safety played at Minnesota and was selected by New Orleans in the 2023 Draft 5th Round (146). For the season he has 8 Tackles with 0 Sacks or INTs. His PFF Grade is 70.6 good for 41st, but keep in mind that he has played just 49 snaps in 5 games.
| Starter | 2nd | |
| PK | Blake Grupe | – |
| P | Kai Kroeger | – |
| H | Kai Kroeger | – |
| PR | Rashid Shaheed | Ugo Amadi |
| KR | Kendre Miller | – |
| LS | Zach Wood | – |
The player to watch out for is Shaheed. He is a dangerous Punt Returner who was leading the league in PR Average last year with 15.9 YPR before he got hurt and lost for the season. He was an All-Pro returner in 2023. So far this season he is averaging 15.9 yards per return, which would be 4th in the league if he had enough returns to qualify. He has 6 returns in 5 games and obviously teams are trying to keep the ball away from him. Expect the same treatment for the Patriots Marcus Jones who leads the league by a wide margin with a 25.3 YPR. Kendre Miller is the Kickoff specialist. Miller is 24th in the league with a 24.7 YPR on kickoffs. Velus Jones was also returning kick but he was waived this week by New Orleans. Blake Grupe is the Placekicker and he is the worst kicker in the NFL. Grupe has made just 10 of his 15 attempts. Their Punting game isn’t very good either as Kai Kroeger is 11th in the league with 18 punts and 28th in the league with just a 34.2 Net Yards per Punt.
Isaac Yiadom missed his 2nd practice of the week and is expected to miss the game on Sunday.
Alvin Kamara injured his ankle in practice but is expected to play on Sunday. How effective will he be? He was listed as Limited.
Carlos Ruiz was upgraded to a Full Participant. Last week UDFA Torrecelli Simpkins played for Ruiz and was a disaster at RG.
Justin Reid was a Full Participant after clearing the Concussion Protocol.
Davon Godchaux was listed as a DNP on Thursday after being excused from practice on Wednesday. I think this may be more than a Vet Day off. Godchaux hasn’t been good, but a backup may be even worse.
It is encouraging for Saints fans that Chase Young has participated in back-to-back practices. He is hoping to play for the first time this season against the Pats.
Christian Gonzalez left practice after early stretching and didn’t return. He was listed as Limited.
Jaylin Hawkins (hamstring), Keion White (Elbow), and Anfernee Jennings (Knee) were listed as DNP.
Marte Mapu was downgraded to Limited with neck and hamstring issues.
Antonio Gibson was listed as DNP and I expect that he will go on IR.
This is a game the Patriots should win. The Saints won their 1st game last week versus the NY Giants and rookie Jackson Dart at QB. The big worry is that the Patriots overlook the Saints and make this a trap game. From what I have heard from the Patriots players, that they are taking the Saints seriously.
The Pats run Defense is #4 in the league and haven’t allowed a single runningback to have more than 50 yards in a game. Priority is to stop Alvin Kamara (ankle injury) and Deandre Miller. Make New Orleans become one dimensional and put the pressure on Spencer Rattler.
New Orleans forced 5 turnovers against the Giants of which they scored two defensive TDs. Can they do that again against a Patriots team that has had trouble holding onto the ball? The Saints are one of the worst teams in the league in run stop rate, ranked 28th in the league. They are also 14th in the league in Yards per Run Rate. The Patriots must establish the run game. I don’t think you will see the Saints put 8 or 9 in the box.
The Saints are going to have to double Diggs or he and Maye will tear them up. I expect Kayshon Boutte to have a big game. It’s homecoming for Boutte and Will Campbel who both played for LSU.
Keep Rattler in the pocket. As I stated earlier, Rattler is getting the ball out at the 4th fastest rate in the league (2.63). It appears that Christian Gonzalez has had a setback with his hamstring. If he can’t go that makes a big difference in what the Patriots can do on Defense. I now expect to see more Zone defense. I would also spy Spencer Rattler and see if we can prevent some big QB runs from him.
New Orleans will run Wildcat runs with Taysom Hill. They need to be cautious with these. New Orleans will try to exploit their tendencies. In 13 personnel they had run the ball 6 out of 6 times before last week. They did play-action out of that formation and hit Rashid Shaheed for an 87-yard bomb for a TD. Hill has passed out of the wildcat formation in the past and wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit a TE off the line.
Fun fact: QB Spence Rattler was drafted in 2024 and QB Tyler Shough was drafted in 2025. They have the same birthdate, however Shough is a year older. He played 7 years of College football and was one of the oldest players drafted this year. Drake Maye just turned 23.
Kelvin Banks and Taliese Fuaga are the young bookend tackles for the Saints. They have been left on an island so far this season. They haven’t given up many sacks more because Rattler has been getting rid of the ball so quickly. Look for K’Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry to have good games against these guys.
I just think the Patriots are better in every phase of this game. The Patriots D-line is better than the Saints O-Line. The Patriots O-line is better than the Saints D-line and the Patriots have it all over the Saints on Special Teams. Mike Vrabel is an experienced head coach and game manager. This is Kellen Moore’s first time as Head Coach. I have the Patriots winning this game 24-10 and proving that Sunday’s win in Buffalo was no fluke.
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If you look at the Saints team stats vs opponents stats, they’re semi-close to even. But not so in the win/loss record. But the Saints have some talent on paper, like Bresee and the first rounders in the o-line. I’d expect it won’t be an easy game. Especially in New Orleans. Interesting to see if the blitzing the Bills did gets copied by the Saints. Maye was on the run a bit and the Pats didn’t run much with extra bodies crashing the line. Till the pats start blocking it well and burning the blitz with chunk plays, teams likely… Read more »