The New Orleans Saints have brought in a new coach for the new season. Coach Burn has expressed a whole lot about this roster. He loves the fact that the roster has a bunch of veteran guys, however, the concern is the age of the players as well as their contracts. For this first season, he has stated that just because a player is a veteran doesn’t mean they will be the starter. In this article we will breakdown the starting offensive players.
QB:
Jameis Winston: Winston will be the starter and will command the offense for at least two seasons. He has all the tools right now to succeed in the league, however, his potential regression as well as his contract ending will be the reason the Saints look to draft his replacement next offseason.
HB:
Alvin Kamara: Kamara is the life blood of this offense. Coach Burn loves to incorporate the running back position in the pass game and Kamara and his abilities are the perfect complement for this. Look for Kamara to break the 2000 all purpose yards barrier this season. Kamara will remain in this offense for the rest of his contract.
Mark Ingram: Ingram will be a mentor for Kamara and the rest of the running back core. He will share roughly about 25 % of the carries with Kamara. Ingram will most likely be cut at the end of this season.
WR:
Michael Thomas: Thomas isn’t the speedy guy that Coach Burn is used to having in his offensive scheme, however, that doesn’t mean he isn’t useful. Thomas is a savvy veteran who is sure handed and can run any route in the route tree from anywhere on the field. Coach Burn will find ways to match him up vs man coverage so that Thomas can separate himself easily from his competition. Thomas has a big contract for the next few years, however, if regression hits him hard, especially his speed then we can see his spot on this roster in jeopardy.
Chris Olave: The rookie of the group is starting over multiple veteran guys. This is due primarily for the appreciation that Coach Burn has for his speed. Given the fact that Burn likes to take multiple deep shots in every game, look out for Olave to be a candidate in the rookie of the year competition. Olave will be the future of this offense sooner rather than later.
Deonte Harty: Harty broke free from the group and passed Jarvis Landry for the third spot in this receiving core. Coach Burn primarily uses a lot of three wide receiver sets, so Harty will be able to use his speed in the slot in order to break free from what is usually the worst corner on the field for most teams. Harty only has a one year contract but given his age and speed, expect Burn to do all he can to retain him in the offseason.
TE:
Taysom Hill: The Saints have 5 tight ends on their roster, however, the aging Hill is still the best one. Hill has blazing speed and will be used in multiple ways this season. Burn isn’t normally a coach who will use trickey or wildcat plays but with Hill on the roster, this will change this season. Hill, however, will most likely be a one year rental for the team as he is expected to retire at season’s end.
Adam Trautman: Trautman is a young player who has two years left on his contract. He will be used in two tight end sets but will be regulated to a decoy in most scenarios. Assuming that Hill does retire next season, then he will move atop of the depth chart, but most likely won’t stay there long if a rookie is signed in the draft.
OL:
RT: Ryan Ramczyk
He is the superstar on this line and is expected to anchor it for the foreseeable future however, he is getting older being 28. The Saints previous leadership gave him a 6 year deal and he still has 5 years left. He will be a Saint until he retires, hopefully his superstar status stays with him throughout that entire time.
RG: Cesar Ruiz
Ruiz is a young star player who was recently drafted. He isn’t the highest graded player at the moment but Coach Burn is committed to building on his talents and he will be the right guard of the Saints for the rest of the cycle.
C: Erik Mccoy
Mccoy is another young player who could become a permanent starter for the rest of the cycle as long as Coach Burn can find the cap space for him in the offseason. Burn would love to keep him, however, the Saints previous ownership has messed up the cap situation so badly that they are at negative 15 million for the next season.
LG: Andrus Peat:
Peat is a older low overall player who is on the bad side of regression come seasons end. He is contracted for 3 more seasons, however, if Burn can sign another player in next year’s draft, Peat could find himself on the bench.
LT: James Hurst
This would be the Saints first draft pick Trevor Penning, however, he is hurt for a few more weeks with an injury he occured before the season started. Hurst is a serviceable backup who can do what pass block when needed. He is contracted for another season, however, will most likely be cut to sign players in the offseason.
The Saints offense has alot of aging starters on their roster. They have some key rookies in place to get experience, however, a fresh batch of rookies will be needed in the upcoming draft in order to balance this roster. If the roster isn’t balanced, Coach Burn will have a hard time fielding a competitive team, as with age comes regression and it hits hard. We will be back with the Saints defensive roster and starters.
