The player intrigue – at least, for these five players to watch – isn't about who will make the gameday roster for the New Orleans Saints in 2024. It's about monitoring for progress, comfort, usage and/or possible slippage. It'll be an interesting stint in Irvine, Calif., for these five, and many others.
1. Quarterback Derek Carr has played to rave reviews during the offseason workouts as he diligently has worked to assimilate to the offense being installed by coordinator Klint Kubiak. But reality is that those impressive reps have come in shorts and helmets – "underwear," Kubiak said – and the real work must be accomplished against more stringent opposition. Carr's final five games last season (1,117 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 74 percent of his passes as the Saints won four of five) were outstanding, and Kubiak's offense will rely more on the run game and motion to try to help Carr remain on that arc.
2. Has Trevor Penning found at home at right tackle? That's the biggest question for the offensive line, which has several of them. Penning, a 2021 first-round pick, couldn't find his footing at left tackle and the switch this offseason was a chance for him to take advantage of a fresh start. And given that former All-Pro right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is out for the season, after being played on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List, Penning's development is paramount. Since offensive and defensive lines do little more than shadow box during OTAs and minicamp, we won't get a good feel for Penning's progress until the padded practices in training camp. His attitude has been positive, and coaches believe he's athletic enough to handle the duties. They need Penning to make them right.
3. Any other time, given what happened last season, the guy to watch this year on the defensive line would be Cam Jordan. And it very well still could be, considering the franchise all-time leader in sacks (117.5) is coming off a two-sack season (second fewest in his career) which was decimated by injury. But this year, it has to be defensive end Chase Young, the unrestricted free agent signee who had neck surgery during the offseason and wasn't on the field for any team work other than walk throughs during OTAs and minicamp. The Saints are hoping Young can recapture the form that led to him being named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, when he totaled 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, four passes defensed, 12 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss. He seemed to be getting back to that last season, when he totaled 7.5 sacks while splitting the season between the Commanders and 49ers. If he can be what he and the Saints believe he can, and the team can add that kind of ability to Carl Granderson and a healthy Jordan, the Saints can have a formidable rotation.
4. Marshon Lattimore calls himself the best cornerback in the NFL, and there are times when the 2017 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year plays that way. But after two injury-riddled seasons during which he missed half of New Orleans' 34 games, Lattimore needs to do more than talk the talk. He said he wants to be a Saint and for the Saints to have a formidable defense, they need him to be at his best on the field for much more than half of the games.
5. The use of running back Alvin Kamara will garner much attention, as will the shifting role of Taysom Hill, who's still listed as a quarterback but will get some reps at running back and fullback, too. Still, the Saints need receiver A.T. Perry to make a jump in improvement. He showed last season that there's an abundance of raw talent – you can't teach size and the determination he has shown to come down with 50-50 balls is impressive. But New Orleans needs a receiving complement to go along with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, and Perry could be the guy who clamps the opportunity. The flashes need to smooth into consistent production.
