8 bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints in 2021
Expectations are all over the place for the New Orleans Saints. Their season win totals aren’t too pretty from oddsmakers, but many fans are still looking for a fifth consecutive NFC South title and playoff berth after the Saints dominated their division rivals the last four years. But with a new starting quarterback and so much upheaval across the roster, what are you predicting happens in 2021? Do any of those predictions feel, well, bold?
Here are eight shots I’m calling a week out from the season opener. Let’s revisit in a few months and see how I did:
Jameis Winston gets back to the Pro Bowl
January 29, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Team Irvin quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks (3, left) and Team Irvin quarterback Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3, right) smile during 2016 Pro Bowl photo day at Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Winston rode a solid rookie season to his first and only Pro Bowl appearance, though he made it in as an alternate with Cam Newton preparing for the Super Bowl and Aaron Rodgers electing to sit out the event. But he'll have to outperform his rookie stat line (4,042 yards and 22 touchdown passes against 15 interceptions) to unseat incumbent NFC Pro Bowl quarterbacks Rodgers, Russell Wilson, or Kyler Murray to make the cut. So how's this for a bold prediction?
Marcus Davenport creates double-digit sacks
New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport (92) reacts after sacking Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) during the first half of an NFL divisional round playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Brett Duke
Davenport has bagged just a dozen sacks through his first three years in the NFL, so this feels like a really, really high bar to set. Just ten players achieved this goal last season and that doesn't really help his case. But Davenport has shown enough this summer to warrant heightened expectations. He's healthy, he's had his best training camp as a pro, and he was dominant on limited snaps in the two preseason games. I think he'll surprise a lot of people, especially in Week 1 against a backup Packers left tackle.
Marquez Callaway, over 700 receiving yards
Aug 14, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Callaway (1) runs on the field before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Callaway only totaled 213 receiving yards as a rookie, but he's had a wildly exciting summer and is poised to be the unchallenged WR1 to start the season. Maybe Tre'Quan Smith is cleared for the season opener and Michael Thomas his the ground running after sitting the first six weeks on the PUP list, but Callaway's ability to get open downfield and his confidence to compete with anyone will pay off right out of the gate. Remember, there are 17 games now so this would be an average of just 41 yards each week. Callaway might do even better, especially once the receiving corps is back at full strength.
Paulson Adebo starts at least 8 games
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 14: Paulson Adebo #29 of the New Orleans Saints looks on during the first half of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 14, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Ken Crawley is penciled in as the opening-day starter, and there's a chance he holds onto the job. He's played well enough over the summer to earn it, including in practice sessions with officials watching for pass-interference fouls. But Adebo has every tool you could want for a cornerback. He's played really, really well too. If Crawley relapses to his usual substandard level of play, the Saints shouldn't hesitate to get Adebo on the field. And once he enters the starting lineup, I've got a hunch it'll be really difficult to pull him back out of it. He'll have the usual rookie struggles, but his upside is obvious even this far away.
Adam Trautman, under 30 receptions
New Orleans Saints tight end Adam Trautman makes a catch during an NFL football training camp practice in New Orleans, Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021. (Max Becherer/The Advocate via AP)
This is tough because I was all in on Trautman this offseason, looking to his big receiving role at the college level and the wide-open opportunities with Jared Cook and Josh Hill both leaving town. But Juwan Johnson has taken Cook's role in running a majority of routes from the slot on passing downs and it looks like he'll hold onto that role. The Saints have had multiple tight ends catch 15 or more passes every year since 2013, but I'm not convinced Trautman doubles his rookie numbers (15 receptions for 171 yards). Still, he'll be an asset as a blocker.
Deonte Harris leads the NFL in punt return yards again
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 22: Punt returner Deonte Harris #11 of the New Orleans Saints rushes for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on September 22, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Harris pulled off this feat as a rookie in 2019, picking up a league-leading 338 punt return yards in 14 games. Last season he ranked tenth with 207 yards in just 9 games. If he can remain healthy and productive -- without losing a step whenever his two-game suspension is handed down -- he should reclaim his title in no time. But that relies on the defense forcing more punts and opposing teams giving him more opportunities after they shied away from him at times last year. Maybe Harris makes up for lost time on kick returns, where he placed fifth-best in 2019 (644 return yards) before taking a tumble in 2020 (his 436 yards ranked thirteenth).
Sean Payton wins Coach of the Year again
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton talks with Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) during the team's NFL football training camp practice in Metairie, La., Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. (David Grunfeld/The Advocate via AP)
It's weird that Payton has only won this recognition once, right? Bruce Arians and Ron Rivera have done it twice. Bill Belichick has won it three times. Only one team has won more games than the Saints the last four years (the Chiefs are just ahead with 54 wins against New Orleans' 52, including the playoffs), but the award has eluded Payton ever since he got it way back in 2006. He's even won a lot of games without Drew Brees for stretches in recent years, but that wasn't enough to sway voters. But here's his big opportunity. If he can lead the Saints to a successful season without Brees and prove he's fixed the many flaws in Winston's game, to say nothing of navigating the challenges of a hurricane-disrupted season, he should be the easy choice.
And the Saints will return to the playoffs
Nov 15, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) celebrates after a touchdown by running back Alvin Kamara (not pictured) during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
It's shaping up for a two-team race to win the division. Handling business against Tampa Bay remains the Saints' best path to the playoffs, but it's not likely they'll sweep Tom Brady again after becoming the first team to ever do it in 2020. Looking beyond the NFC South, there are enough other teams with obvious weaknesses -- everything about the Chicago Bears except for Justin Fields and Khalil Mack, the stuck-in-the-mud Arizona Cardinals, the unevenly-built Minnesota Vikings, and all four unserious NFC East teams -- to think the Saints can put 10 or 11 wins together and secure a wild-card seed. If Winston can protect the football and the defense remains a strength, maybe the Saints win even more than that.
1
1
1
1
