Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC South Check-In, Pre-Draft Review: New Orleans Saints

The Saints' only move in the second wave of free agency has been the addition of reserve QB Zach Wilson, but some reported pre-draft visits with prospects could lend some insight into their plans for the eighth overall pick

Apr 17, 2026 at 08:00 AM

Senior Writer/Editor

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 Saints' actions during the early blush of free agency reinforced the idea that they consider themselves contenders in 2026. With a somewhat less restrictive cap situation than they have faced in quite some years, the Saints were early shoppers on the open market, signing seven different players to multi-year deals, including three to four-year pacts. As will be discussedbelow, the most significant moves leaned towards offense, where the team is now building around promising second-year quarterback Tyler Shough.

Shough was one half of that two-headed reset in 2025. The new head coach was Kellen Moore, who was the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator during their 2024 Super Bowl-winning campaign Shough was a high second-round draft pick who took over the job from Spencer Rattler at midseason and produced a 5-4 record as a starter. 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 still relied on some veterans who are a bit long in the tooth in Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis – the latter of whom took off for the Jets in free agency – but does have rising talent in the secondary and a rejuvenated Chase Young (10.0 sacks in 2025) to get after the quarterback.

Other than adding another person to the quarterback room, the Saints have not made a secondary run in free agency in late March and early April, seemingly turning their attention to the upcoming draft, in which they own the eighth overall pick. That includes a round of reported"Top 30" visits from draft prospects, some of which reinforce the idea that the Saints will be looking to add to their receiving corps in the early rounds. More on that below.

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 somecases 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. We are now checking back in with New Orleans as the draft looms next week.

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TAMPA, FL - March 24, 2026 - Inside Linebacker Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers retirement announcement at AdventHealth Training Center. Photo By Tori Richman/Tampa Bay Buccaneers