2023 New Orleans Saints State of the Franchise

The 2023 New Orleans Saints have a lot to look forward to as they enter a new season with what they have coming back and the new additions they acquired during the free agency period. The Saints will be looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season. New Orleans finished the 2022 season with a 7-10 record and a disappointing finish against the Carolina Panthers in the Caesar’s Superdome.

The 2023 season for the black and gold features a lot of optimism as the NFC South will be wide open for New Orleans to take full charge. The question is can they take advantage of a ‘down’ division and re-enter the phase of being a championship contender?

2023 New Orleans Saints State of the Franchise:

Saints WR Chris Olave (12) – Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

The Saints have a lot to look forward to heading into the 2023 season after a disappointing 2022 season. Offseason additions have made fans believe that this team can make a run to the playoffs. The most notable gets during the free agency period were Derek Carr, Jamaal Williams, and Foster Moreau. These additions were necessary after the Saints’ offense continued to struggle to be consistent every week.

While the 2022 season isn’t what New Orleans had in mind, there were some bright spots that the team can look back on heading into next season. The 2022 rookie draft class for the Saints showed out during last season as Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed emerged as candidates to play a vital role in the wide receiver position. New Orleans dealt with injuries on both sides of the ball last season as Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry missed the majority of the season.

The injury bug didn’t stop there, as Marshon Lattimore was knocked out for most of the season alongside Marcus Maye. Injuries continued to pile on for the Saints on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. With the absences on defense, the Saints saw Alontae Taylor make an impact for the Saints defense down the stretch. Impact players stepped up for New Orleans throughout the 2022 season, and that will have to happen again if the Saints want to win the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints Post-Drew Brees Era:

Saints HC Dennis Allen – Parker Waters/Crescent City Sports

The Saints became one of the most consistent teams under Sean Payton, and one of the main reasons for that success was having Drew Brees under center. Payton is now taken his talents to the Denver Broncos, and Brees is enjoying his life outside of playing on the gridiron. The duo would be able to restore the city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as they won Super Bowl 46 against the Indianapolis Colts. It was the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory in its history.

New Orleans wouldn’t end up making it back to the Super Bowl after the Saints’ victory in Miami, but they were able to become consistent throughout both of their careers. At the backend of Payton and Brees’ time with the Saints, New Orleans won the NFC South for four consecutive years. The 2017 postseason would end in heartbreak as the Minnesota Vikings pulled off the ‘Minnesota Miracle’ to advance to the NFC Championship.

The heartbreak wouldn’t end there as New Orleans during the 2018 postseason, a ‘no-call’ cost the Saints a spot in the Super Bowl to take on the New England Patriots. The Saints would make the postseason during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, but they were knocked out early on. Brees would decide to retire after the end of the 2020 season and that would leave a lot of question marks heading into the 2021 season. New Orleans would fail to make the playoffs in both seasons after the post-Brees era.

Winning Window For the Saints:

Saints DE Cam Jordan (94) – Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The first step to making it back to the Super Bowl is getting back into the playoffs. New Orleans wasn’t able to take advantage of an NFC South division that was one of the worst divisions last season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to win the division with a sub-.500 record, and they were able to book their ticket into the playoffs. The Saints have the roster and the experience to win an NFC South division in 2023. Each team in the division has question marks of their own, especially at the quarterback position.

The past winning window for the Saints was during that 2017-2020 run, where New Orleans was able to take charge of the division but ultimately failed to make it back to the Super Bowl. The past two seasons have been filled with offensive struggles that have been focused on the quarterback carousel. During the 2021 season, Jameis Winston looked sharp early on in the season. He would suffer a torn ACL injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season. The Saints were left with playing Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, and Ian Book throughout the remainder of the season.

The 2022 season was more of the same as  Winston was the starter early on the season, but he was sidelined with an injury. Andy Dalton took over for the offense to finish up the season. Dalton is now with the Panthers, and the keys to the offense are now in Carr’s hands. The offseason additions and the veteran experience on this team will have the Saints in the playoff hunt once again. The winning window for the Saints to win the division is now, but they are still a few years away from being considered one of the elites in the NFL.