Saints need playmakers, especially mighty mites

Ed Daniels, Sports
Clarion Herald

If the Saints defeat the Falcons on Sunday and either make the playoffs as a division champion or a wild card, there should be no misinterpretation of the 2023 New Orleans season.

Even with nine victories, it is still not a good year.

You say that it is? That, anytime you make the playoffs, it’s a great season?

Well, only you can decide as to whether or not the Saints made discernable progress this season.

But, I say no.

Going into the final weekend, the Saints’ eight victories were against teams with a combined 42 wins.

Against a very bad schedule, the Saints will be either a game under or a game over .500.

Tell me, what are the Saints’ best wins? At Tampa Bay, against a team that was a preseason pick to finish third in the NFC South? Or against the Colts, who were playing backup quarterback Gardner Minshew?

If either is a great win, well so be it.

So, where do the Saints go from here?

Well, they desperately need playmakers. If you don’t think so, let’s peruse the eight teams who look like true Super Bowl contenders.

There’s Miami, Baltimore and Buffalo in the AFC.

And, in the NFC, there’s San Francisco, Detroit, Dallas, the Rams and Philadelphia.

All of the above have double-digit wins, except for the Rams, who have won nine, including six of their last seven.

And, all of the above are averaging 26 points a game or more.

The Kansas City Chiefs, AFC West champions, look like a shell of their Super Bowl selves. The Chiefs have scored 40 points in a game only once this season.

In a mediocre league, the teams that can move the football consistently and score points have a decided advantage.

So, what do the Saints do?

Does offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael return?

Do the Saints retool their offensive line and those coaching it?

And, do the Saints finally budge or even tweak their offensive philosophy of prioritizing size in the draft?

The Saints need playmakers, guys who make plays in space.

You can find them in the early rounds, and you can find them in the late rounds.

In back-to-back fifth rounds in 2022 and 2023, the Rams drafted running back Kyren Williams and wide receiver Puka Nacua.

Nacua is averaging 14.3 yards a catch and has six touchdowns.

Williams, in his second season, exploded for 12 rushing touchdowns, heading into Week 18.

The Rams have gotten younger, faster and cheaper.

And, they have rebuilt without first-round draft picks. The Rams’ last first-round pick was Jared Goff in 2016.

The Saints have tried to thread the needle: that is, rebuild and still win.

But, regardless of what happens Sunday, nine wins isn’t something to celebrate.

There’s a lot of heavy lifting that needs to happen on Airline Drive in the offseason, and if that lift isn’t successful, the Saints will be playing a tougher schedule with a diminished roster.

Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].