The New Orleans Saints did the new-coach/new-quarterback reset in 2025, and even though it only resulted in one more win than the year before, the team is surely optimistic about the direction in which it is headed. That's particularly true if one focuses on December, when the Saints collected four of their six victories and finished off a season sweep of the division-winning Carolina Panthers.

The new head coach is Kellen Moore, who was the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator during their 2024 Super Bowl-winning campaign. The new quarterback was second-round draft pick Tyler Shough, who took over the job from Spencer Rattler at midseason and produced a 5-4 record as a starter. The Saints are in their customary spot at the bottom of the table of team salary cap space, but are set up nicely with a young play-calling head coach and a salary-controlled starting quarterback with a promising outlook. Shough compiled a fine 91.3 passer rating as a rookie (albeit a 26-year-old rookie) with a 10-6 TD-INT ratio.

The Saints also boasted a top-10 defense in 2025, at least in terms of yards. New Orleans ranked ninth in yards allowed per game (299.8) and 17th in points allowed per game (22.5). That defense is still relying on some veterans who are a bit long in the tooth in Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis, but does have rising talent in the secondary and a rejuvenated Chase Young (10.0 sacks in 2025) to get after the quarterback.

New Orleans ended up fourth in the NFC South standings for the second season in a row – the franchise's only two last-place finishes since 2008 – but only two games behind the 8-9 Panthers. It's safe to consider the division to be wide open heading into 2026, and with a few more weapons around Shough the Saints, who won the South four straight years from 2017-20, could be in contention once again.

Much of how the division race shapes up around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next fall will be determined by the moves that the four teams make between now and the summer, or in some cases have already made. For that reason, we're going to keep an eye on what is transpiring in Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans with our monthly "NFC South Check-Ins." Once a month from February through May we're going to look at how the rosters, leadership and opportunities are shaping up for the Falcons, Panthers and Saints. After starting with the Falcons and then examining the Panthers last week, we now turn our attention to the crew from the bayou.

2026 New Orleans Saints

News/Developments Since the End of the 2025 Season:

Again, the Saints made their big moves last offseason, when Derek Carr retired and Moore was brought in to replace Dennis Allen, who had been fired at midseason in 2024. As such, there has been little turnover on the coaching staff, with only Jahri Evans leaving to join Mike McCarthy's staff in Pittsburgh as an assistant offensive line coach. Scott Tolzien, the Saints' quarterbacks coach, also interviewed with McCarthy for the Steelers' offensive coordinator position but that job eventually went to Brian Angelichio.

Evans, who played guard for 11 seasons in New Orleans, was also a finalist for this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class though he wasn't one of the four modern-era players eventually selected for enshrinement. That doesn't mean the franchise was shut out of this year's Hall of Fame festivities. Quarterback Drew Brees, who played 15 of his 20 seasons in New Orleans and made 13 Pro Bowls, was one of the players chosen for enshrinement and one of two, along with former Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, to get in as first-ballot candidates.

Earlier this month, the NFL announced that the Saints would be the host team in the first regular-season game ever played in Paris, France. That will be part of a record nine-game international slate of games in 2026, and it will be played at Stade de France, the country's national stadium. The Saints' opponent in that game has not yet been officially announced.

New Orleans also got a little contract work done early, signing safety Julian Blackmon to a one-year extension after his first season with the team. That season didn't last long for Blackmon, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week One after contributing seven tackles and a pass defensed against Arizona. Blackmon previously logged 62 starts in five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

There is plenty more work to due for the Saints' player personnel department. As noted above, New Orleans currently ranks last in available 2026 cap space, according to Spotrac. They are currently about $42 million over the cap, which means there is likely to be another round of contract restructuring for the Saints, and possibly some cuts.

Potential Unrestricted Free Agents:

The Saints have a relatively lengthy list of players who would become unrestricted free agents (UFAs) if they are not re-signed before March 11. That includes the two stalwart defensive veterans mentioned above, Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis, both of whom are heading into their age-37 seasons but remain productive starters. Jordan hit double digits in sacks last year for the first time since 2021, finishing with 10.5 to lead the team, while Davis had a career-high and team-leading 143 tackles.

Cornerback Alontae Taylor, a second-round draft pick in 2022 who has started most of the past three seasons, could also hit free agency. Taylor is coming off a strong season in which he combined 83 tackles with two interceptions, 11 passes defensed and 2.0 sacks. New Orleans would probably like to keep together a young cornerback trio that also includes 2024 second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry and 2025 fourth-round selection Quincy Riley.

Other contributors and reserves on the Saints defense who could become UFAs include defensive tackle Jonah Williams, defensive end Jonathan Bullard and defensive backs Michael Davis, Ugo Amadi and safety Terrell Burgess.

New Orleans doesn't have as many free agency concerns on the offensive side of the ball, though they could end up needing some tight end depth if any or all of Taysom Hill, Jack Stoll and Foster Moreau hit the market. Hill, of course, has been more than just a tight end for the Saints for the past nine years, taking snaps at quarterback, running back and receiver as well. However, Hill scored just one touchdown in 2025 after averaging seven per season from 2019-24.

Dillon Radunz, who started 10 games at guard for the Saints on a one-year deal, is on the pending free agent list, as is Luke Fortner, who got a chance to start 10 games at center due to an Erik McCoy injury. Reserve linemen Landon Young and Will Clapp could also depart.

2026 NFL Draft:

New Orleans was one of three teams to finish the 2025 season with a 6-11 record, and it had a lower strength of schedule figure than Kansas City or Cincinnati so it ended up with the eighth pick in the first round of the 2026 draft. Those three teams will rotate through the 8-10 picks from round to round. It's the second straight year in the top for the Saints, who used the ninth pick on tackle Kelvin Banks last spring.

The Saints do not own their own fourth-round pick this year because they traded it to Denver last August to get wide receiver Devaughn Vele. However, they will pick in that round because of the midseason trade that sent wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to Seattle for fourth and fifth-round selections. The Saints are also projected to get one compensatory pick at the end of the fourth round. New Orleans also does not have its seventh-round pick this year because the team traded it to New England way back in March of 2025 for defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.

In all, that leaves New Orleans with eight picks heading into the draft, including three of the first 73.

New Orleans has taken an offensive tackle in the top half of the first round in each of the past two years, with Banks preceded by Taliese Fuaga in 2024. They also have 2020 first-round pick Cesar Ruiz at right guard and McCoy, a 2019 second-round selection, at center, so they probably won't make it O-Line three years in a row unless they jump on Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane.

Common mock draft pairings have the Saints looking to get Shough those extra weapons on offense. That could come in the form of Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, widely considered the rare running back worthy of a top-10 pick. That would begin the passing of the torch from long-time Saints star Alvin Kamara, who posted career lows in rushing yards (471) and yards per carry (3.6) last year. Alternately, New Orleans could address a receiving room that is very thin behind 2025 second-team All-Pro Chris Olave. They could be one of the first couple teams to dip into the receiving pool, putting them in position to land a top prospect such as Ohio State's Carnell Tate, USC's Makai Lemon or Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson.

On defense, the Saints' interest could be driven by what happens with their own players in free agency. If any of Jordan, Davis or Taylor does not return to New Orleans, that would create holes in the starting lineup at edge rusher, linebacker and/or cornerback. The Saints might be able to get one of the consensus top two pass-rushers in Texas Tech's David Bailey or Miami's Rueben Bain. They would almost certainly be in position to nab one of the top two cornerbacks and might even be able to shop locally with LSU's Mansoor Delane.