Canal Street Chronicles
Football is the greatest sport on earth. As we sit here in July, we go through our days monotonously running errands, handling responsibilities, and day dreaming about September. The only way to scratch our football itch is hypotheticals and speculation. So, let’s do just that. What is both the best and worst case scenario for the New Orleans Saints in 2026? Realistically, what can we expect from this Saints team if everything clicks, or if nothing does at all?
The best case scenario for this team obviously starts with Tyler Shough. The soon-to-be 27 year old Quarterback is entering his second NFL season. Shough looked borderline incredible in his nine starts as a rookie. Many fans are expecting him to be the Saints new franchise Quarterback. Now that Shough will have a full offseason of being the unrivaled starter under his belt, it is very realistic to expect further development from him. If he does come out on fire, the Saints will be poised to make a run for the NFC South crown with arguably the best quarterback in the division.
This is especially true when you factor how much better the offensive situation became around him. A major reason for why Shough’s play in 2025 was so impressive was the lack of offensive fire power he had around him. This certainly included the offensive line which struggled mightily last season. This offseason, the Saints added veteran Guard David Edwards in free agency. Center Erik McCoy will also be coming back from injury. You combine these two interior players with the Saints young tackle duo, Fuaga and Banks, and it’s very easy to foresee a world where this is one of the better units in the NFL providing Shough much needed protection
Accompanying Shough in the backfield will be the running back tandem of Travis Ettiene and Alvin Kamara. Ettiene was the biggest name the Saints brought in this offseason and eclipsed 1000 rushing yards in three of his four seasons in Jacksonville. Kamara will be entering his 10th season with the black and gold. Saints fans may recall the “Boom & Zoom” era with Kamara and Mark Ingram in the late 2010s. Although I wouldn’t necessarily say that the best scenario for the 2026 duo would be to reach those heights, I do believe that the Saints rushing attack can provide great balance to the offense. A luxury that was not present in 2025 as the Saints finished at 28th in total rushing offense.
The passing attack easily has the highest upside. Chris Olave is coming off a career high 1163 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2025 and displayed a great connection with Shough. The Saints also selected Arizona State Receiver Jordan Tyson with the 8th overall pick in the 2026 draft. When he played, Tyson was a super star at the collegiate level. He possesses elite ball skills, route running, and run after catch ability. In my opinion, there is a world where both receivers each surpass 1000...
