Three reasons to be optimistic about the New Orleans Saints

It's tougher to find positives in New Orleans than anywhere else in the NFC South. The rush defense, a huge reason the team had five consecutive winning seasons between 2017-2021, ranked 24th in yards allowed (2,218) in 2022. The passing offense, the NFL's worst in 2021, was mediocre -- a far cry from the good, old days of Sean Payton-Drew Brees from 2006-2020. 

But there are reasons for optimism for the Saints as they attempt to avoid a third consecutive non-playoff season in 2023.

1. Veteran leadership

The team still relies on several high-performing veterans, especially on defense.

Defensive end Cam Jordan, 33, and linebacker Demario Davis, 34, are two of the best players at their positions and didn't suffer a drop-off in production in 2022.

Last offseason, the Saints added Super Bowl-winning safety Tyrann Mathieu, whom the team has no financial incentive to cut. Mathieu's leadership in the secondary -- along with Davis' at linebacker and Jordan's on the defensive line -- could be instrumental in the team avoiding a free-fall in 2023.

2. Promising young talent

The Saints have have one of the league's oldest rosters, but talented, young players stepped up in key spots in 2022. Wide receiver Chris Olave, the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, had 72 receptions, 1,042 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn't the only young wide receiver to emerge in 2022. 

Undrafted rookie Rashid Shaheed made an immediate impact on his first two NFL touches -- both touchdowns of over 40 yards -- and carved out a bigger role for himself in the offense as the season progressed.

He finished the season with 28 receptions for 488 yards and two touchdowns and was one of three Saints players (Alvin Kamara, Olave) to have more than 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2022. Per Pro Football Focus, he ranked second in the NFL -- behind Tyreek Hill -- in yards per route run (2.59).

On defense, second-year linebacker Pete Werner was seemingly everywhere, at one point leading the league in tackles before suffering an ankle injury in Week 9 against Baltimore. He returned in Week 15 and played in three of the team's final four games. He finished the season with 80 tackles and forced two fumbles.

Rookie cornerback Alontae Taylor showed immense promise after being drafted 49th overall, and when paired with Marshon Lattimore, he leads us to point number three.

3. Pass defense still elite

While the rush defense took a huge step back, the pass defense was outstanding. The unit ranked third in passing touchdowns allowed (17) and second in yards (3,134) and yards per attempt (5.8). 

Per PFF, out of 88 graded safeties, Mathieu finished the season as the fifth-best safety and Marcus Maye finished as the 26th-best.

Lattimore and Taylor didn't grade as highly but were just as effective. Per data from PFF, QBs had passer ratings well below average when targeting Lattimore (58.9) and Taylor (58.3).

Earlier this month, the Saints hired Joe Woods, formerly with the Browns, as defensive coordinator. In five seasons as a defensive coordinator -- two in Denver and three in Cleveland -- his defenses ranked in the top five against the pass three times, including the past two seasons.