The New Orleans Saints offense will open up training camp with a ton of continuity on their side. Only two starters won’t return from last year — center Max Unger, who retired to his family ranch in Hawaii; and tight end Benjamin Watson, who ended his own brief retirement for one last Super Bowl run with the team that drafted him, the New England Patriots.
In their place are a top rookie draft pick (former Texas A&M center Erik McCoy) and the best free agent on the market at the position (veteran tight end Jared Cook). Besides running back Mark Ingram, who was demoted to the second-string after his return from suspension last year (and has been replaced by free agent Latavius Murray), the rest of the offense is intact.
And that matters in the latest rankings from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. The unit has risen steadily over the last few years to the No. 7 spot in 2019, with previous stops at No. 11 in 2018 and No. 14 in 2017. Here’s some of his reservations about the Saints offense:
Cook is not quite on (Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara’s) level, and after that big three, you can certainly pick holes in what the Saints bring to the table. Ted Ginn’s late-career renaissance has been fun to see, but the 34-year-old averaged just under 42 yards per game when healthy a year ago. Tre’Quan Smith flashed as a rookie, but it’s not as if he had a Calvin Ridley-sized debut campaign, and guys like Keith Kirkwood and Cameron Meredith aren’t likely to move the needle. Latavius Murray is also likely a step down from Mark Ingram as New Orleans’ power back, given the 29-year-old’s middling production in Oakland and Minnesota. This group will go as far as Kamara and Thomas can take it.
So Barnwell has some justifiable reservations about depth behind the top guys, but the talent gathered in Thomas, Kamara, and Cook could be enough to overcome it. Still, it would be great to see one of those developmental players like Tre’Quan Smith take a big leap in 2019.
