Canal Street Chronicles
After finishing the 2025 season with a 6-11 overall record, one would be led to think that morale and expectations surrounding the New Orleans Saints were relatively low. The team failed to reach the postseason five straight years and has had a losing record in back-to-back seasons, yet the hype around this year’s squad could not be higher as the Saints have the Big Easy abuzz once more. Mickey Loomis, Kellen Moore, and the rest of the Saints’ staff have done their job in putting a quality roster together on paper, but now that they believe the right pieces are in place, how long will fans remain patient before success transitions from a desire to a demand?
New Orleans brought in then-first-year head coach Kellen Moore last offseason after he spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, which included a Super Bowl LIX victory. The Saints struggled under Dennis Allen’s leadership through two and a half years before Moore’s hire, so Loomis and co. made it a priority to bring in one of the youngest, brightest offensive-minded coaches in the NFL.
Moore brought in more talented coaches to serve as his staff. Some hires included Brendan Nugent, Joel Thomas, and Scott Tolzien, but most notably, he brought in Doug Nussmeier as the Saints’ offensive coordinator while Brandon Staley was signed to become New Orleans’ defensive coordinator.
Although he did not have a full offseason under his belt, Moore meshed well with the rest of the Saints’ organization from the get-go. The 2025 draft class drew comparisons to New Orleans’ historic class of 17’ in just their rookie campaigns. They utilized their top two draft picks in hopes of immediately impacting the trenches and locking up the team’s quarterback of the future. Kelvin Banks Jr. and Tyler Shough seemingly answered that bell and then some, even though Shough’s opportunity did not come until later in the year after QB Spencer Rattler’s benching. New Orleans then went defense-heavy in the middle rounds of 2025, filling gaps and finding diamonds in the rough that are on track to play critical roles in this year’s grouping.
Fast forward one year and a late-season four-game win streak later, Moore and the majority of the new staff members are entering their first full season together in New Orleans, while last season’s rookies begin their sophomore years. In the most recent free agency, the Saints were active, signing Ryan Wright (P), Travis Etienne Jr. (RB), David Edwards (G), Noah Fant (TE), Kaden Elliss (LB), and more. Even with the departure of a strong veteran like linebacker Demario Davis (New York Jets), the Saints have to feel good about the position they put themselves in by improving the roster from 2025.
While this year’s rookies are yet to see the field, fans were exuberant about how the draft in April went for the black and gold. The Saints took Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with the eighth overall selection in this year’s class. With pass catching a major...
