S82 Final 53

by mayne41event | 2 years ago | 0 Comments

By Donovan Simmons | @RZDSimmons | 3/19/2023

 

Season 82 is already rolling strong. And after the first 3 weeks, teams are still trying to jockey for position at the top of their divisions. Especially in the good ole NFC South, where the top teams (ATL and CAR) and the bottom teams (TB and NO) are only separated by a game. So it is still anyone's division. On the Homefront, the rebuild has begun for the Saints. See my previous article for a breakdown of the offseason moves and my twitter thread for the recap of the S82 draft class. For reference, here is said class.

 

Draft Class

1.15 QB Aiden Scarborough Illinois St

2.26 TE Kenny Donald Ohio St

3.11 G Jelani Crowley Miami

3.15 RB Sheldon Upshaw Georgia

5.11 G Joe Cobb Colorado 

6.11 S David Perine Lehigh

 

And now, the Season 82 final 53 for your New Orleans Saints.

 

QB - Aiden Scarborough [R], Taysom Hill, Bryce Ross 

Scarborough was their top pick at 1.16 and according to sources in the building, he was their absolute must have. Scarborough was as advertised in camp and won the starting job over Bryce Ross and veteran Taysom Hill. Through 3 games, Aiden has this passing attack markedly better than last season. 666yds 4TDs to 1INT. Compared to Winston, who had 200 fewer yards and 2TDs to 5INTs at this time last year.

 

RB - Elijah Mitchell, Cam Akers, Sheldon Upshaw [R], Nate McCrary, (FB) Cody Favorite 

With the departure of Alvin Kamara, the Saints aimed to get younger and add depth to their backfield. Signing Cam Akers, acquiring Eli Mitchell in a deal from SF and drafting Sheldon Upshaw out of UGA. Expect to see an even mix of Cam and Eli on all downs. And by midseason, Upshaw could start to see some spell back time in passing sets.

 

WR - Chris Olave, Chase Claypool, Kj Osborn, Velus Jones Jr, Tyron Johnson, Kirk Merritt

Another position that went through a massive overhaul was the WR room. Olave and kick returner Merritt were the only returning players. Claypool, Osborn and Johnson were all signed this offseason and Velus Jones came over in a deal with CHI. This staff feels Olave is ready to teak the reins of a WR1. But who will emerge as the 2? Claypool and Osborn both have all the tools, but key drops in the first 3 games have put the halt from either one taking that next step. Hopefully, they can work through their shortcomings and get this WR core firing on all cylinders.

 

TE - Adam Trautman, Cj Uzomah, Kenny Donald [R] 

Trautman has 3yr left on a 4 year deal and will be 30 by the end of the deal. As of now, he is clearly one of the top options for Scarbrough. But the future was set by the drafting TE Kenny Donald in the second round out of The Ohio State. Veteran TE Cj Uzomah was also brought in this offseason. This should give the Saints offense the versatility to go either 3 wide or 3TEs and still maintain the threat of a passing attack.

 

T - Jedrick Wills Jr, Ryan Ramczyk, Joe Cobb [R]

Ramczyk is a mainstay on the right side. And the Saints sure up the LT spot with signing Jedrick Wills for $36 mil over 4yrs. After giving up 33 sacks last season, this was a major concern to be addressed. And also give Trevor Penning the ability to kick inside.

 

G - Jelani Crowley [R], Cesar Ruiz, Trevor Penning, D’Andre Verner, 

Ruiz and Penning battled it out during camp for one guard spot. Ruiz was the victor and Penning will be the 6th lineman in the rotation. The Saints will have a big decision w/ Ruiz this offseason. He is playing on the 5th yr option right now. Crowley, who was taken w/ the 11th pick in the 3rd round, was graded as the 4th best player in the draft and top OL prospect. He has shown to be a day one starter from early in camp.

 

C - Erik McCoy, Austin Reiter

McCoy, the other long-standing Saints OLineman, will continue to anchor the line from the middle. Austin Reiter will back him up.

 

DE - Payton Turner, George Ross, William Gholston, Terrell Lewis

Payton Turner turned in a season of a lifetime with 16.5 sacks. Will this be his production going forward or was this just a flash in the pan? Last year’s rookie George Ross will kick to the outside and play DE this year. We'll see how he translates to more of a pass rushing role.

 

DT - Poona Ford, Kentavius Street, Malcolm Roach, Armon Watts

Ford and Watts were brought in this offseason to join the DT rotation along with Kentavius Street. This team struggled to stop the run last season. If they are expecting any improvements on this side of the ball, it will start up front and plugging the run.

 

OLB - Pete Werner, Dre Greenlaw, Kyle Van Noy, Chance Campbell

Werner is due a new deal at seasons end. Along with newly acquired Dre Greenlaw. Van Noy is starting to show his age and will be reduced to a backup role. With over $100 mil available, both Werner and Greenlaw will be top on the priority to resign with the team.

 

MLB - Demario Davis, Christian Kirksey, Jason Godwin 

Davis returns on a new deal after being a part of the exodus of large deals. He'll look to end his career as a Saint. Kirksey and Godwin will be the depth and see a lot of time on special teams.

 

CB - Asante Samuel Jr, Alonte Taylor, Ahkello Witherspoon, Paulson Adebo, Dane Jackson, Tay Gowan

Another position group that saw a lot of changes was the CB room. Taylor led the team with 7INTs and a Pro Bowl selection. But surrounding him are Asante Samuel Jr, who came over in the Lattimore deal, and Ahkello Witherspoon, who signed on as a free agent. Adebo and Dane Jackson will battle for the CB4 spot.

 

S - Tyrann Mathieu, Ryan Neal, Xavier Rhodes, David Perine [R]

Mathieu is another big-name player that needs a deal this offseason. But the Saints have drafted his incumbent in David Perine out of Lehigh. Perine certainly carried himself like a superstar through camp and is just itching to get his shot. The FS spot was in flux after the release of Marcus Maye and Mathieu moving to the SS spot. Ryan Neal and former CB turned safety Xavier Rhodes will occupy the spot. Both have seen time in the starting lineup this year but neither has really took ahold of the starting slot on the depth chart. And you have to wonder if Perine had such a good camp, why wouldn't he start across from Mathieu?

 

Specialist - Brian Johnson, Joe Walker 

Kickity Kick Kick... Skipity Bee Bop!

 

Follow me @RZDSimmons on Twitter all season long for Saints coverage. And check out the team page at daddyleagues.com/redzone/team/NO