The New Orleans Saints finished last in the NFC South last season, but they did win four of their last five games. On one hand, they did not log a win in 2025 against a team that finished the season with a winning record; on the other, they logged three combined wins against Carolina and Tampa Bay, the two teams that went into the last weekend of the season with a shot at the division title.

Those competing ways of looking at the Saints' 2025 outcome could lead observers to disagree on whether or not the Saints will be a true playoff contender in 2026. Judging on their offseason roster moves, the Saints appear to have landed on the optimistic side of that debate. Perhaps tipping the scales in that direction was the team's 5-4 record after rookie quarterback Tyler Shough took over as the starter, and a defense that somewhat quietly finished in the top 10 in league rankings in a variety of categories, including yards allowed, net passing yards allowed, yards allowed per rush, sacks per pass play, third-down conversion rate allowed and red zone touchdown prevention.

The Saints did seem to lack firepower around Shough on offense, but as will be noted below, they have worked aggressively to change that during the offseason. When the 2026 NFL schedule dropped last week, it revealed that New Orleans will play four of its six division games in the last four weeks of the season. There's a decent chance that stretch will be very meaningful for the entire division.

Again, 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, who took home the crown. It's safe to consider the division wide open heading into 2026, and now with a few more weapons around Shough the Saints, who won the South four straight years from 2017-20, are aiming to contend 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 have been making since the 2025 campaign concluded. For that reason, we have been keeping 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've looked at how the rosters, leadership and opportunities are shaping up for the Falcons, Panthers and Saints. We are now making our last check in on New Orleans now that the draft is in the rear view mirror.

2026NewOrleans Saints

News/Developments Since the End of the 2025 Season:

The Saints made their biggest moves last offseason, when Derek Carr retired and new Head Coach Kellen Moore was hired to replace Dennis Allen, who had been fired at midseason in 2024. As such, there has been little turnover on the coaching staff in 2026, 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.

In February, 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. Last week, it was revealed that the Saints' opponent for that October 25 overseas tilt would be the Pittsburgh Steelers.

New Orleans got a little contract work done before the start of free agency, 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.

Later, the Saints made another move to retain one of their homegrown players, exercising the fifth-year option on defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, a first-round pick in 2023. Bresee had his best season (so far) in 2025, with 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and 37 tackles.

Free Agency Developments:

The Saints lost one of their long-time defensive leaders in linebacker Demario Davis, who was still quite productive (143 tackles) in his age-36 and has now moved on to the Jets. Another starter on defense, cornerback Alontae Taylor, had a hot market in free agency and ended up signing a three-year, $58 million deal with Tennessee.

Those were really New Orleans' only two losses of note; however, as of mid-May the team had not re-signed another one of their all-time legends, edge rusher Cameron Jordan, who 10.5 sacks in 2025. General Manager Mickey Loomis recently stated that the Saints do have an offer on the table for Jordan to return. The same is not true for versatile tight end Taysom Hill, who remains unsigned after spending the past nine seasons in New Orleans.

Meanwhile, the Saints added to their emerging offense with guard David Edwards (four years, $61 million), running back Travis Etienne (four years, $48 million) and tight end Noah Fant (two years, $9 million). Edwards was widely regarded as the top available guard in free agency after strong 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. Etienne fell a single yard short of reaching 1,400 yards from scrimmage for the third time in his four NFL seasons and will either make a nice complement for Alvin Kamara or unseat the veteran back as the top presence in the Saints' backfield. Fant had 34 receptions and three touchdowns for the Bengals last year and replaces Foster Moreau, who left for the Texans, on the tight end depth chart.

In terms of the backfield, it's worth noting that Loomis also recently alluded to seeing how Kamara is going to "fit on [their] roster," and that a development on that front – potentially a pay cut – could come in the next couple weeks.

With Davis on the way out, the Saints brought back another one of their former defenders, re-signing linebacker Kaden Elliss after he had spent the past three seasons in Atlanta. Elliss started every game over those three years and averaged 127 tackles per season, while adding another element as a strong blitzer. He had 12.5 sacks for the Falcons and actually had a career high of 7.0 sacks in 2022, the last of his first four seasons in New Orleans. The Saints also made a change at punter, trading Kai Kroeger to Houston and signing Ryan Wright from the Vikings.

The Saints' one additional move in the days after the first rush of free agency was to sign quarterback Zach Wilson, who presumably slots in third on the depth chart after Shough and Rattler. Wilson was with the Dolphins last season but threw only 11 passes. In the last month, the team has also made two moves to add depth to its edge rush group, trading a fifth-round pick to the Raiders for Tyree Wilson and a seventh-round pick and more recently signing former Patriot Anfernee Jennings. Wilson was the seventh-overall pick in the 2023 draft but he has produced just 12.0 sacks in 50 games so far. Jennings was released by New England in March but he has started 33 games over the past three seasons and has 7.5 career sacks.

New Orleans also recently added cornerback Martin Emerson, a former third-round pick of the Browns who started 33 games from 2022-24 and snared four interceptions in that span. Emerson suffered an Achilles tendon injury last summer, however, and missed the 2025 campaign before becoming an unrestricted free agent in March.

New Orleans was able to retain a few of its own free agents after the Taylor and Davis departures, getting new deals done with guard Dillon Radunz, defensive lineman John Ridgeway and edge rusher Chris Rumph. Safety Terrell Burgess was added to that list later in March.

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 10 for the Saints, who used the ninth pick on tackle Kelvin Banks last spring.

The Saints did not own their own fourth-round pick heading into this year's draft because they traded it to Denver last August to get wide receiver Devaughn Vele. However, they still had two selections in that round because of the midseason trade that sent wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to Seattle for fourth and fifth-round selections, plus the addition of a compensatory selection. 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.

The aforementioned trade for Wilson happened on the third day of the draft, so the Saints relinquished their own fifth-rounder but still had the Seahawks pick in that round from the Shaheed trade. They also got back into the seventh round with the Raiders pick from that same deal.

In all, that left New Orleans with eight picks in the draft and they did not deviate from their eight slots with any trades up or down the board. That emphasis on beefing up the skill-position personnel around Shough was seen throughout the draft, starting with the selection of Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson at number eight overall in Round One. After giving the defense a boost in the second round with Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller at number 42, the Saints added another pass-catcher in Round Three with Miller's college teammate, tight end Oscar Delp.

Tyson had significant injury concerns during his collegiate tenure but may have been the most talented wideout available. He accelerates quickly to top speed, runs sharp and detailed routes and can create more yardage after the catch. Assuming better injury fortune at the next level, Tyson could be the complement to Pro Bowler Chris Olave the Saints badly needed. Delp didn't have a high level of pass-catching production at Georgia, with just 70 catches in 55 games, but he has the speed, route-running skills and physicality to develop into a two-way tight end in the NFL.

At 6-4 and 321 pounds, Miller adds bulk to the Saints' interior line and is already established as a very good run defender. The only other picks New Orleans made on that side of the ball were Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. in the fifth round and Iowa cornerback T.J. Hall in the seventh round. Styles is the older brother of seventh-overall pick Sonny Styles and the son of former NFL linebacker Lorenzo Styles. He started his collegiate career as a wide receiver at Notre Dame but switched to cornerback after joining the Buckeyes in 2023. He may not have the coverage skills to stay at cornerback but he's an explosive athlete and a sound tackler who could figure into the mix in the slot or at safety. He is almost certain to make an immediate impact on special teams. Hall broke up 13 passes for the Hawkeyes in 2025 and adds depth to the cornerback group.

Round Four was devoted to the offense, with nearly consecutive picks of Auburn guard Jeremiah Wright and North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance. Wright, a strong run-blocker, could push right guard Cesar Ruiz for playing time but will at least add some much-needed depth on the interior line. Lance, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Trey Lance, has good size at 6-3 and 205 pounds and he moves well for that size. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at NDSU.

Finally, the Saints used their sixth-round pick on LSU wide receiver Barion Brown, who likely was selected for his kick return abilities. Brown has 4.40 speed and recorded an amazing six kickoff return touchdowns in four seasons at Kentucky and LSU, all of them for either 99 or 100 yards.