Leadership and Coordinators
- Owner: Gayle Benson — Owner and Chief Executive Officer Benson continues to entrust the football operation to Mickey Loomis while Kellen Moore develops a younger core. New Orleans still needs a clearer path back to contention.
- Decision Maker: Mickey Loomis Executive Vice President and General Manager Loomis remains the roster’s senior architect. His 2026 plan added speed and youth around Tyler Shough while beginning a difficult transition away from several longtime defensive leaders.
- Head Coach: Kellen Moore Moore’s first season began 1–7 but ended with a promising 5–4 stretch under Shough. Year 2 is about converting that improvement into a winning record.
- Offensive Coordinator: Doug Nussmeier Nussmeier works closely with Moore and Shough on the passing game. A deeper group of receivers, tight ends and running backs gives the offense more answers, though line health remains essential.
- Defensive Coordinator: Brandon Staley Staley’s first Saints defense finished in the league’s top ten in yards allowed and top five against the pass. Replacing Demario Davis’ communication while expanding the young secondary’s role is his central challenge.
- Special Teams Coordinator: Phil Galiano Galiano oversees a unit with a new punter and several rookie return candidates, led by speedy Barion Brown.
2025 Season Recap
New Orleans finished 6–11 in 2025, but the record alone misses the season’s most important development. The Saints began 1–7 with Spencer Rattler starting at quarterback, turned to rookie Tyler Shough and became a much more competitive team. Shough went 5–4 as a starter, and New Orleans won four straight games before a 19–17 loss at Atlanta in Week 18. The late surge did not rescue the season, but it gave Kellen Moore’s first year a credible foundation.
The quarterback change altered the offense’s rhythm. Rattler’s physical talent produced occasional flashes, yet the unit struggled to stay on schedule and finish drives. Shough played with better timing, used the middle of the field and remained composed when initial reads disappeared. He completed 221 of 327 passes for 2,384 yards and ten touchdowns, finishing with a 67.6 percent completion rate and a 91.3 passer rating. In nine starts, he threw for 2,256 yards and added 174 rushing yards with three touchdowns.
Those numbers earned Shough a place on the PFWA All-Rookie team and, more importantly, control of the 2026 plan. He did not simply benefit from a soft closing schedule. Shough showed repeatable traits—anticipation, toughness and enough mobility to punish man coverage—that fit Moore’s offense. His improvement allowed New Orleans to evaluate the rest of the young roster within a functioning passing game.
Chris Olave delivered the best season of his career and earned second-team All-Pro recognition. He became only the second Saints player to reach 100 receptions in a season and consistently won at every level of the field. A blood clot in his lung ended his season before the finale, but his 2025 performance established him as the offense’s clear primary receiver. Juwan Johnson also produced a career year with more than 850 receiving yards, giving Shough a dependable middle-of-the-field target.
The running game was less stable. Alvin Kamara remained the leading rusher despite an injury-shortened season, and rookie Devin Neal received a larger role late. The offense scored 306 points, second fewest in the division, because its early-season inefficiency left too much ground to recover. Even during the Shough stretch, New Orleans needed more explosive speed and stronger blocking to avoid long drives ending without touchdowns.
Staley’s defense played better than the team’s record suggested. The Saints finished ninth in net yards allowed at 299.8 per game, fourth against the pass at 179.2 yards per game and sixth in yards allowed per rush at 3.97. Demario Davis produced a career-high 143 tackles and continued to organize the front. Chase Young played his most complete football late in the year, while rookies Quincy Riley and Jonas Sanker earned meaningful secondary roles.
The defense still had limitations. It did not create enough short fields for an offense finding its identity, and attrition reduced the pass rush and coverage menu at different points. New Orleans could limit yardage without always producing the decisive negative play. That distinction helped explain why respectable defensive rankings coexisted with eleven losses.
The Saints’ late four-game winning streak included victories over Tampa Bay, Carolina, the Jets and Tennessee. It changed the emotional direction of the season and demonstrated that Moore’s young team had not detached after a 2–10 start. The finale in Atlanta ended on the wrong side of another close game, but New Orleans entered the offseason knowing who its quarterback would be and which young defenders belonged in the next core.
The 2026 roster is faster and deeper on offense. Jordyn Tyson, Travis Etienne Jr., Noah Fant, Oscar Delp and two additional drafted receivers give Shough more matchup variety. The defense added Kaden Elliss and Tyree Wilson while saying goodbye to Davis and Alontae Taylor. New Orleans is still in transition, but the direction is clearer than it was one year ago. The standard for 2026 is no longer simply evaluating young players—it is proving that the late 2025 improvement can survive a full schedule.
2025 NFC South Standing
- 1. Carolina Panthers — 8–9 (3–3 division) — Lost WC PF: 311 · PA: 380
- 2. TB Buccaneers — 8–9 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 380 · PA: 411
- 3. Atlanta Falcons — 8–9 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 353 · PA: 401
- 4. NO Saints — 6–11 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 306 · PA: 383
New Orleans finished only two games behind the three teams tied for first and matched all of them at 3–3 in division play. The Saints’ slow start, not an inability to compete locally, created the final separation.
Notable 2026 Player Additions
- RB Travis Etienne Jr. Etienne arrives after a 1,107-yard rushing season and gives Moore an explosive runner and proven receiver. Pairing him with Kamara creates flexibility rather than requiring either back to handle every situation.
- LB Kaden Elliss Elliss returns to New Orleans after three productive seasons in Atlanta. His pressure ability, tackling and communication are vital following Davis’ departure.
- TE Noah Fant Fant adds speed up the seam and after the catch. He can play alongside Johnson or Oscar Delp and force defenses to cover more space from heavier personnel.
- G David Edwards Edwards brings extensive starting experience and a physical presence to an offensive line that needs to provide Shough with a more dependable interior pocket.
- DT John Ridgeway III Ridgeway is a powerful run defender who can occupy blocks and help preserve the lighter, faster players behind him.
- EDGE Tyree Wilson (trade, Raiders) Wilson gets a fresh start in Staley’s front after recording 12 sacks over his first three seasons. His length and power remain intriguing if he can play with greater snap-to-snap urgency.
Notable 2026 Player Losses
- LB Demario Davis Davis leaves after a career-high 143 tackles and years as the defense’s emotional and tactical leader. Elliss and the younger linebackers must replace far more than production.
- CB Alontae Taylor Taylor started for four seasons and handled both outside and slot assignments. His versatility leaves a meaningful coverage void.
- P Kai Kroeger Kroeger handled every punt and hold in 2025 before being traded to Houston. Ryan Wright takes over the operation.
- TE/Utility Taysom Hill Hill’s unique rushing, receiving, blocking and special-teams roles are no longer part of the active roster. New Orleans must replace his situational impact through multiple players and packages.
2026 Draft Class
- Round 1, Pick 8 — WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State A polished, explosive receiver capable of winning outside or from the slot. He begins the season on injured reserve with a designation to return, delaying his anticipated partnership with Olave.
- Round 2, Pick 42 — DT Christen Miller, Georgia A powerful interior defender with the anchor to play early downs and enough quickness to develop as a pocket pusher.
- Round 3, Pick 73 — TE Oscar Delp, Georgia A fluid two-way tight end who can contribute as a blocker while developing into another receiving option for Shough.
- Round 4, Pick 132 — G Jeremiah Wright, Auburn A massive, experienced interior blocker suited to a power role and developmental depth behind Edwards and the starting line.
- Round 4, Pick 136 — WR Bryce Lance, North Dakota State A tall, athletic receiver with vertical and red-zone potential. He offers a different body type from the rest of the young group.
- Round 5, Pick 172 — S Lorenzo Styles Jr., Ohio State A converted receiver with excellent movement skills and coverage upside. He was placed on injured reserve before the season, interrupting an important developmental year.
- Round 6, Pick 190 — WR/RS Barion Brown, LSU An electric open-field runner with an immediate opportunity in the return game and on manufactured offensive touches.
- Round 7, Pick 219 — CB TJ Hall Jr., Iowa A long corner with special-teams potential who begins his career developing behind the active secondary.
2026 Spotlight Watch
- Hot Seat — Mickey Loomis Loomis has overseen the Saints through several roster cycles since the last playoff appearance. Shough’s emergence creates a real opportunity, but the general manager must show that the younger core, rebuilt skill group and defensive transition can produce sustained progress.
- Breakout Watch — Tyler Shough Shough’s late-season stretch was more than a few promising throws. With a full offseason as the starter and a deeper set of weapons, he has the opportunity to become an efficient, aggressive quarterback capable of putting New Orleans back into the division race.
- Bust Watch — Tyree Wilson Wilson’s physical profile remains exceptional, but 12 sacks and seven starts across three seasons show that traits have not yet become consistent impact. New Orleans needs better get-off, hand usage and down-to-down urgency for the change of scenery to matter.
- Team Superstar — Chris Olave Olave combines refined routes, acceleration and body control at every level of the field. His 100-catch, All-Pro season established him as the player who most clearly raises the ceiling of Shough and the entire offense.
Prediction
While we predict the New Orleans Saints fails to secure a winning record in 2026 by going 8-9, that will be good enough to win the NFC South and host a playoff game in January.
Below is the complete 2026 regular season projections.
Sources
- NFL: Final 2025 division standings
- New Orleans Saints: 2025 game-by-game season recap
- New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough’s 2025 season recap
- New Orleans Saints: Front office
- New Orleans Saints: Coaching staff
- New Orleans Saints: 2026 transactions
- New Orleans Saints: 2026 draft class
- New Orleans Saints: Initial 2026 roster
