The New Orleans Saints have had their ups and downs this year and the same can be said for the players. The secondary was the strongest and most consistent part of the Saints defensively or offensively. It’s no surprise two of the studs come from that position group. The defense was better than the offense which is also represented by the placement of the list. These are the studs and duds from the Saints entire 2023 season:
Stud: Demario Davis
In his fifth consecutive All-Pro season, Demario Davis also registered over 100 tackles for the 7th year in a row. He was the team’s leader in tackles and also continues to showcase his skillset as a pass rusher. His ability to get downhill is reflected by consistently racking up double digit tackles for a loss. He’s translated that ability into career-high sack totals in 2022 and 2023.
Dud: Trevor Penning
Nothing other than words says Trevor Penning will start for the Saints at left tackle again. All actions point to him being replaced. 2023 was like a rookie season for Penning due to injuries in his first year. It’s safe to say his “redshirt rookie” campaign didn’t go as planned. He was benched and never returned. Andrus Peat had to move from tackle to guard early in his career, and Penning could be on track for the same.
Stud: Paulson Adebo
The third year pro looked like a true number one cornerback in Marshon Lattimore’s absence. Adebo won a defensive player of the week and led the team in interceptions and pass deflections. There was a month stretch where he was particularly on fire. After a sophomore slump, Adebo made a noticeable improvement and also seemed to be more strategic about his physicality with receivers.
Dud: Derek Carr
The first year of Derek Carr’s Saints tenure was rocky. The beginning of the season was rough. The quarterback struggled in the red zone and seemingly struggled to establish to chemistry with his weapons. Those struggles were solved and he deserves credit for that. However, ending the year strong doesn’t change what the majority of the debut looked like. His season was a dud with signs of improvement.
Stud: Rashid Shaheed
If there was one player Carr connected with instantly, it was Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed was the most reliable and dynamic part of the Saints offense. It started with Shaheed’s dagger against the Titans in Week 1 and he continued to play that role as the finisher. He drastically improved his receiving stats, but also was a first team All Pro as a punt returner.
Dud: Juwan Johnson
Johnson was one of the players many believed would have a breakout season. Tight ends in general were not heavily involved as receiving threats in the offense. There’s an argument to be made the disappointment with Johnson was more on usage than him specifically. He showed what he could do late in the year, but Johnson didn’t live up to expectations this year unfortunately.
Stud: Isaac Yiadom
Yiadom may have had the most underrated season for a New Orleans Saints player in 2023. Adebo’s ability to anchor the lead cornerback position deservedly so takes a lot of the recognition in the secondary. Yiadom showed his ability to make plays on the ball early in the year, and that remained constant with increased playing time.
Yiadom didn’t allow opposing teams to just attack the backup cornerback. That’s a big contributing factor to the pass defense after Lattimore’s injury.
