The New Orleans Saints were in some dire straits to start the year. They began with a 1-1 record and Drew Brees getting sidelined for a month with an injury to his throwing hand, but they rallied to overcome those challenges. Saints coach Sean Payton may have done the best job of his career in preparing his team to compete every week without their best player, and often in different styles.
Now, they’re coming out of the bye week with a 7-1 record and a series of NFC South rivalry games ahead of them. If they’re going to keep this winning streak going down the stretch, it’s going to take big performances from a few key players. Some of them have done it before; others haven’t. Here’s four names to watch in the second half of the season.
Tight end Jared Cook
The first half of the season didn’t exactly go according to plan for Cook, whose signing kicked off excitement that the Saints would finally have someone to pair with Michael Thomas on passes deep downfield. Cook’s training camp performance only added fuel to that fire, but an undisclosed late-summer injury slowed him down.
Then Brees was hurt, spiking the chemistry they’d developed all offseason. It took Cook some time to build a connection with Teddy Bridgewater, but he finally seemed to hit his stride with 7 catches on 9 targets in his last two games, picking up 78 yards and scoring two touchdown receptions. Another injury caused him to miss the final two games before the bye week.
But now Brees is healthy, and Cook should be close to returning. The sooner those two NFL veterans can get to work together the better, because they could add an entirely new dimension to the Saints offense if they can get on the same page.
Defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Gardner-Johnson made an instant impact in two games as a starter, filling in for suspended slot corner P.J. Williams. The rookie showed off some solid open-field tackling ability as well as a knack for getting into passing lanes, even if he dropped two would-be interceptions that hit him in the chest plate. He built quite a case for the Saints to keep him on the field even after Williams is back with the team.
The Saints can’t really go wrong with either option, though Gardner-Johnson might be more of a high-variance player. He’s going to make rookie mistakes sooner or later, but so far he’s started off on the right foot with plenty of timely plays. But now that the Saints have waived longtime backup Ken Crawley, it might make sense to give Gardner-Johnson the starting nod and keep Williams at the ready in case Marshon Lattimore or Eli Apple need to miss time.
Wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith
Hopes were high for Smith in his second season, now that he’d had time to fully absorb the playbook and condition his body for the rigors of the NFL. He caught a touchdown pass back in Week 1, and created a big play on a catch-and-run in Week 2 before a low tackle injured his ankle. Fast-forward a few weeks and Smith hurried back into the lineup, only to hurt his ankle again in what turned out to be a setback.
He’s had plenty of time to recover since then, and if he’s ready, the Saints could badly use his help. Thomas is still the top dog in the Saints receiving corps, and Ted Ginn Jr. has caught almost every pass Brees has thrown to him this year. But they lack a consistent running-mate for Thomas in the starting lineup. If Smith is healthy and ready to pick up where he left off, he could really help the offense in the second half of the season.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins
Rankins has seen his snap counts climb in the weeks since he returned from last year’s Achilles injury, but it hasn’t coincided with increased production. He’s been credited with just one sack and two other quarterback hits in five games, and he didn’t log a single tackle in his last two games before the Saints bye week. But that shouldn’t be surprising, or even concerning. The injury he suffered was serious and it’ll take time before he’s back to his old self.
Hopefully the extra time off during the bye gave Rankins an opportunity to review his game tape from the first half and see how his body responded to the increased workload. While the New Orleans defensive line is a strength of the team, having Rankins playing at a level near where he left off last year (when he recorded 8 sacks and 15 hits) would help that unit take an even bigger next step.
