The New Orleans Saints concluded their offseason program last week and will take a well-earned vacation before opening training camp next month in Irvine, California.
Now’s the perfect time to take inventory of the 2024 Saints before the action intensifies at training camp in July.
Our Saints beat crew huddled for a roundtable discussion, analyzing the highs and lows of the offseason and looking ahead to head coach Dennis Allen’s third season at the helm.
Today's Part 2 looks ahead to training camp. Part 1, a breakdown of offseason workouts, published Friday.
Q: Which position battle is the most competitive as we head to training camp?
Luke Johnson: Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s previous team, the San Francisco 49ers, used 11 personnel (three receivers, one running back, one tight end) less than all but one team last season, running it on 38.4% of their offensive plays. But, even if the Saints follow that trend, that’s still almost 40% of the offensive snaps, and right now there’s no clear No. 3 wideout. It could be Cedrick Wilson, a veteran signed to a 2-year deal this offseason, or it could be second-year wideout A.T. Perry — or maybe even someone else.
Matthew Paras: I was tempted to say wide receiver, but since Luke took it, I’ll go linebacker. When doing a 53-man roster projection last week, that was arguably the toughest group to narrow down. While the top three spots are locks with Demario Davis, Pete Werner and Willie Gay, the rest of the unit is wide open. It’ll be interesting to see how many linebackers the Saints want to keep as well.
Rod Walker: Marcus Maye is gone, so I’ll go with the safety battle. Will it be veteran Johnathan Abram, who showed flashes late last season of what he can do. Or will Jordan Howden, entering his second season, take over in that role? The good news is both are capable of starting alongside Tyrann Mathieu. Whichever one doesn’t get the staring gig will still see plenty of action.
Jeff Duncan: I’m eager to watch young quarterbacks Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler battle it out for the backup spot behind Carr. As you would expect, Haener made fewer mistakes during OTAs and minicamp and that gave him a slight nod over the rookie from South Carolina. But Rattler came on strong as time progressed. This competition should go down to the wire, and I expect both guys to get long looks during the preseason games. Carr has been remarkably durable during his career, but in the NFL, the backup QB is always just one play away from being the man, so this is an important competition.
Q: If you can add one player to the roster before the start of camp, who would it be?
Luke Johnson: I’m going to go way out on a limb here: Trade for Brandon Aiyuk. I can see the counterarguments — he’s going to be very expensive (especially for a team that is perpetually solving a salary cap Rubik's cube), it would eat into the Saints draft capital (which, again, is even more important for a team that is already expensive) and it also may look hilariously short-sighted if the Saints miss the playoffs this year and then go into a rebuild with a $30 million receiver on the roster. I say: Who cares! This game is supposed to be fun, and adding Aiyuk to a group that already includes Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed sounds face-meltingly fun.
Matthew Paras: Going off the board here, but how about tapping into the UFL? Plenty of players are looking for second chances, and so how about Hakeem Butler — the St. Louis Battlehawks wideout who won the spring league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Butler has underwhelmed in the NFL, but his recent success is worth taking a flyer. And though he played wide receiver in the UFL, he also has experience at tight end in the NFL.
Rod Walker: I actually considered going the UFL route here too and getting Michigan Panthers defensive end Breeland Speaks, who was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Injuries derailed his career with the Chiefs. But if Chase Young is healthy, the Saints are probably fine at defensive end. So I’ll pivot and with shore up the offensive line with five-time All Pro tackle David Bakhtiari, who has spent his entire career with the Packers. Yeah, I know the recent injury history (just 13 starts in the last three years) is a risk. But it’s also a risk for the Saints to go into this make or break season for Dennis Allen with the current O-line. It’s worth a shot if they can get him for cheap.
Jeff Duncan: I was inclined to list veteran safeties Justin Simmons or Micah Hyde here, but the signing of Rod Teamer probably eliminates them as a realistic possibility. The injury to Juwan Johnson makes the tight end position a little thin on experience, so why not bring back Jimmy Graham at the veteran minimum? Graham showed last season that he can still make plays in a limited role and would be a great mentor to young prospects like Dallin Holker and Michael Jacobson.
Q: Should we be concerned about the Alvin Kamara situation? How do you see it playing out?
Luke Johnson: I’ll rank it a four on the Concern-O-Meter. Kamara has some leverage in a hold out, especially with this potentially being a make-or-break year for some people who hold the power in the organization. But it’s not like Kamara can afford to sit the year out, either, to enter the free agent market as a 30-year-old who hasn’t truly played like a star since 2020. This feels like it will get resolved with a compromise before the start of the season.
Matthew Paras: I’m not overly concerned, though I grapple with what the Saints should do. Keeping their options open with a player whose production has slipped is smart, and so should they really look to guarantee him some money in 2025? Kamara, though, means a lot to this franchise and he could easily have a bounce-back season in this new offense. A Derrick Henry-like bridge deal (two years, $16 million with $9 million guaranteed) may make sense.
Rod Walker: I’ll answer the second part first. I think the Saints and Kamara work out a deal at some point. I wouldn’t be surprised if the holdout spills over into at least the first part of training camp. How concerned the Saints should be depends heavily on whether Kendre Miller lives up to his potential to become Kamara’s successor. If Miller can avoid injuries and become that guy, the Saints are in good shape. But on the flip side, Kamara is the face of this franchise and the offense, at least this season, is probably a whole lot better with No. 41 in it.
Jeff Duncan: In the end, I expect the sides to compromise and reach an agreement on a short-term extension. The devil, of course, is in the details. If Kamara’s representatives try to use Christian McCaffrey’s contract as a benchmark, then the stalemate could extend into the regular season because I’d be surprised to see the Saints go as high in compensation as the two-year, $38 million deal McCaffrey received.
