This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/Firefawkes17 on 2026-02-23 01:03:27+00:00.
Hello Hello,
We’re back for another year and I’m excited to be back. It’s weird writing this on the other side of a transitional season where I was higher on the Saints than the consensus narrative of the Saints are finally going to suck and finally pay for the sins of Breesus past and Payton’s present. We look to the Shough of the future. We’re entering the sophomore season of a new era and where the Failcons get swept for their inequities, the Saints return to media relevance for the right reason and might make the playoffs for the first time since the Payton Brees era.
Top Brass (included in main post)
- General Manager
- Head Coach + OC
- DC
2025 Off Season
Game Recaps
Offensive Roster
Defensive Roster
2026 Off Season
Top Brass
Front Office - Mickey Loomis / Jeff Ireland
Last year, Loomis continued to keep the checkbook closed, after declaring in “we’ve got to manage this back to the middle” 2023. Since that Season, the free agent signings have been sparse as the Saints pivoted out of dead money and into a proper rebuild. The biggest catalyst that the public did not know was the retirement of Derek Carr and the resulting cap relief the Saints would find in the 2026 and 2027 because of Carr surrendering some of the money he would have been due following his surprise retirement after the draft. For the first time in forever, the saints do not dead last in cap space (yes seriously). Loomis has 1 more round of Loo Doo to get the Saints under the cap before the books finally clear up in 2027.
The other unexpected move relating to the QB room was the drafting of Tyler Shough. At the time of the draft, I thought his name was pronounced “show: and thought I went from a mundane episode of The Price is Right in the 1st round to The Twilight Zone in the 2nd. The move made little sense without the greater context of the Saints were pivoting quietly since Derek Carr was the apparent starter and Tyler Shough was older for a rookie. This headlining pick was supported by other contributors being found up and down the draft for the Saints to have a promising outlook for the future.
Rightfully, Loomis’s aggression and keeping franchise players when other teams would have traded or cut them much earlier is criticized. The Saints have not bottomed out the way other franchises have by paying a premium to keep culture in the building at the cost of not having the best picks or cleanest cap sheet. As Kellen settles in and the roster improves, I’m curious to see if that aggression will be tempered or reignited. My biggest concern is that the rebuild is rushed or an all-in swing is taken on a questionable player that leads to another Marcus Davenport / Jairus Byrd situation where our fully operational battle station is hampered by a critical flaw that’s avoidable with a different strategy to bring the Lombardi back to the bayou in future years. For now, building the roster is the best call since there are many holes and transitions to be made in the 2026 Off-Season.
Head Coach + Offensive Coordinator - Kellen Moore / Doug Nussmeier
The biggest thing to see with Kellen Moore was did the offense improve as the season came in. Moore inherited an inconsistent offensive line, anomalous pass catching group, 2 question marks at QB and an odd RB room. The biggest thing to see with Kellen was to see him follow through on his introductory press conference where he stressed multiple times the importance of process. The offense finished the season bottom 5 in yards gained but there was clear progress following the loss to Buccaneers resulting in changes and internal improvements headlined by Tyler Shough entering the starting lineup.
There’s more to be seen in Year 2 but the marks of a successful coach on a rebuilding team are persevering through adversity, building an identity and gritting out games. Next year, it’s reasonable to expect more from Moore with the roster with roles more clearly defined on offense and stability following the transitions the offensive side of the ball went through.
Defensive Coordinator - Brandon Staley
My opinion of Staley was skeptical, and the media was harsh on what to expect from Staley taking over an aging defensive roster, switching schemes and stepping into the role Dennis Allen performed well from 2017 until the wheels fell off in 2024. The knock on Staley was his great season with the Rams was carried by hall of fame talents Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald. This was followed by frustrating seasons as the Chargers head coach where he did not have the same level of roster talent. Without that, his scheme with the Chargers and the league’s trend back to two-high systems in response to Mahomes and his magic fell victim to smart offensive coaches adapting to all of the underneath space.
When looking back at his unit, it ranked 9th in total yards allowed and 16th in points allowed which is well above expectations and a testament to Staley. While numbers should be qualified with the fact that the back half of the schedule had questionable talent offensively, it was not a mess. The theme of wanting to see more in year two follows with Staley as the roster takes shape and the rebuild takes place. The defense was not Elite but it was not a nuclear waste site.