Pre-Draft Projected Starters: 2023 New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are coming off a 7-10 finish during Dennis Allen’s first season as the head coach for the black and gold. New Orleans has made some key moves in the offseason and they are hoping it will lead them back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season. With the free agency period starting to dwindle down and the calendar turning to draft month, the Saints will be making their final changes to the roster before turning their attention to the start of the 2023 season. Here are the pre-draft projected starters for the 2023 New Orleans Saints.

New Orleans Saints: Projected Starters for 2023

Quarterback:

QB Derek Carr 

Heading into the offseason, the quarterback spot was a big question mark as there was uncertainty on whether the Saints would bring back Jameis Winston and whether Andy Dalton was going to be a free agent. New Orleans was able to fill the void at the quarterback position by signing Carr to a four-year, $150M contract for him to join forces with an offense that struggled mightily during the 2022 season.

Carr is looking for a brand new start after getting released by the Raiders, where he was benched in his last two games in Las Vegas. The Fresno State product wrapped up his 2022 season with 3,522 yards and 24 touchdowns. It is without question that Carr will be the signal-caller for the Saints heading into the 2023 season.

Offensive Line:

LT Trevor Penning, LG Andrus Peat, C Erik McCoy, RG Calvin Throckmorton, RT Ryan Ramczyk 

This position group dealt with injuries throughout the duration of the 2022 season and ranked 28th in the league. New Orleans was able to make a couple of moves during free agency to bring back key guys on the offensive line. The Saints extended Throckmorton to a one-year deal and restructured the contracts of McCoy and Ramcyzk.

New Orleans is likely to roll with the same offensive line that they had a year ago and when they were all healthy, they were a dominant group. Depth will always be key on the offensive line and if injuries happen, Cesar Ruiz and James Hurst could enter the mix into the starting rotation.

Running Back:

RB Alvin Kamara

This position will be locked up by Kamara again as long as he doesn’t have to serve a multi-game suspension. If that were to be the case, then Jamaal Williams would be the RB1 for as long as Kamara is absent. Outside of the possible suspension, 2022 wasn’t the season for Kamara, as he had 223 attempts for 897 yards and only two touchdowns. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility the Saints could take a flier at running back during day three of the draft to provide some depth to the position.

Tight End:

TE Juwan Johnson 

There was a concern for the tight end position heading into the offseason as Johnson was going to be a free agent, and Adam Trautman hasn’t lived up to the billing during his NFL career. New Orleans was able to bring back Johnson on a two-year, $12M contract as he will look to continue his momentum from a stellar 2022 campaign.

During the 2022 season, Johnson recorded 42 receptions for 508 yards and a team-high seven receiving touchdowns. Johnson was the top red-zone target for the Saints and he will look to excel that even more with Carr being under center for New Orleans. There is a possibility that the Saints will add another tight end through the draft, but it will be Johnson’s show heading into 2023 at this position.

Wide Receiver:

WR Michael Thomas, WR Chris Olave, WR Rashid Shaheed 

New Orleans was able to restructure Thomas’ contract as they reached a one-year, $10M deal that has a max value of $15 million. Thomas is expected to be the WR1 going into 2023 as long as he can stay healthy. Staying healthy has been the main concern for Thomas throughout his tenure with the Saints. Outside of Thomas, New Orleans saw the progressions of their two rookie wide receivers in 2022, Olave and Shaheed. Wide receiver was a main concern heading into last season, but it is looking like one of the strong suits in this Saints offense in 2023.

Defensive Line:

LDE Cam Jordan, LDT Khalen Saunders, RDT Nathan Shepherd, RDE Carl Granderson 

The defensive line is the biggest question mark of the Saints’ depth chart heading into the 2023 season. New Orleans lost several key starters on the interior and on the edge of the defensive line. The Saints were able to bring in some veteran experience into the mix with Saunders and Shepherd.

The departures to the roster have made this a pressing issue for the Saints; they need to rebuild their defensive line. Expect New Orleans to use the upcoming NFL Draft to be able to fill in the puzzle pieces that are missing with the front level of the Saints’ defense. Jordan was a bright spot for the Saints’ defensive front in 2022, but he isn’t getting any younger.

Linebacker:

WLB Pete Werner, MLB Demario Davis, SLB Zack Baun 

The Saints linebackers were a bright spot for the team during the 2022 season as Davis is coming off his first Pro Bowl selection during his NFL career. Werner rose to the occasion again, even if he had to battle through a few injuries during the season. Still, whenever he was on the field, Werner had a huge impact on the Saints’ defense.

The one big blow the Saints took during the offseason was losing Kaden Elliss. Elliss had a strong end to the 2022 season, and with him no longer being on the roster, it leaves an open spot for Baun to take. The linebackers were able to take it to another level in 2022, as they accounted for 13.5 sacks.

Safety:

SS Tyrann Mathieu, FS Marcus Maye 

The safety position had a lot to look forward to heading into the 2022 season with the recent additions of Mathieu and Maye. Mathieu had a slow start to the season but was able to pick it up during the second half of the year. On other hand, Maye missed seven games with injury and didn’t stand out when he was in the lineup.

Maye’s starting role could be up for grabs as we turn our attention to 2023 after the Saints brought Johnathan Abram into the mix. Signing Abram was pivotal after New Orleans lost Justin Evans to free agency. There could be some competition between Abram and Maye on who gets the starting free safety role.

Cornerback:

LCB Paulson Adebo, RCB Marshon Lattimore, NB Bradley Roby 

Cornerback is one of the most stable positions on the roster and there shouldn’t be many changes going into the new season. With injuries to Adebo and Lattimore during the season, the depth of the cornerback position would be tested. New Orleans was able to pass that test with flying colors as they saw Alontae Taylor have a breakout season during his rookie campaign. Roby was also a strong presence in the slot for New Orleans in 2022.

It will be hard for the Saints not to put Taylor on the field, so he will likely be heavily involved in the rotation at this position. Taylor will have an opportunity heading into 2023 to fight for a starting spot against Adebo. The cornerback position feels strong going into the 2023 season and they are encouraging signs to back that up.