The gulf between expectations that the New Orleans Saints (and their fans) have for themselves and those shared by outsiders couldn’t be wider. The Saints attacked the offseason with the playoffs in mind, even if Sean Payton stepped down, betting on big returns from some of their best players. And the Saints are loaded up with top-10 talent at a number of spots on both sides of the ball.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler’s surveyed more than 50 executives, coaches and players for his position-by-position polling, sourcing quotes from around the NFL to illustrate what each player does well and how they stack up against their peers. Let’s run through the list:
Running backs
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The only surprise here is Kamara not being ranked higher, but he did take a step back last season – largely through no fault of his own. The Saints offensive line blew a lot of blocking assignments. Jameis Winston and the lackluster quarterbacks that filled in for him weren’t able to maximize Kamara’s receiving skills. Let’s look for a bounce back in 2022.
Wide receivers
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Michael Thomas, receiving votes
It’s impressive to see Thomas mentioned at all considering he hasn’t been himself for nearly two years. Too many fans and talking heads around the NFL keep a short memory, but those in the know give Thomas the respect he’s earned. Now it’s on him to remind the doubters why he’s one of the best in the league at what he does.
Offensive tackles
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Arguably the NFL’s best right tackle, Ramczyk was actually dinged for his lack of flashy plays and his alignment at a less-glamorous position despite his efficiency as a blocker. But he could help his case with more consistent performances from one week to the next, having struggled to play through a knee injury in 2021. He clocked in just ahead of his former longtime teammate Terron Armstead (No. 10).
Interior line
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McCoy fell out of the top-10 from last year’s list, having missed time early in the season with an injury that limited him once he returned. He’s got to shake back and show off some consistency in the final year of his rookie contract. Teammates Andrus…
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