Training camp is still a few weeks away, but the pressure is already piling up in New Orleans.
With Kellen Moore now steering the ship, a wave of young talent pushing into the mix, and a few contract situations hanging over the roster, the Saints have a lot more than routine competition to sort through. For some veterans, this is the kind of camp that can change everything.
Cesar Ruiz sits at the top of that list. The veteran right guard has two years left on his contract, and he has to prove he belongs as a long-term piece on the offensive line.
Ruiz has flashed enough to keep people interested, but the consistency has never fully come together. That gets even more urgent after the Saints used a draft pick on interior offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright.
Wright may not be lining up for Ruiz’s job right away, but the message was loud enough: nobody is locked in. With Moore expanding the offense and the Saints focused on keeping quarterback Tyler Shough protected, Ruiz needs the best season of his career.
Kendre Miller is in a different kind of fight, but it may be just as serious. He’s heading into the final year of his rookie deal and trying to climb out of a crowded running back room.
After injuries and uneven play through his first three seasons, he can’t survive on upside anymore. Right now, he looks like a player sitting firmly on the roster bubble.
If he doesn’t separate himself in camp and preseason, the Saints can move on with younger, healthier and cheaper options.
Carl Granderson has become one of the more interesting pressure points on the roster. The veteran edge rusher was supposed to grow into a true cornerstone after signing his second deal in New Orleans, but the production hasn’t matched the money.
He hasn’t topped 8.5 sacks since that extension, and he’s been stuck at six or below in each of the last two seasons. That’s a tough look for a player carrying premium salary expectations.
The edge room is crowded, too, with Chase Young back healthy, Cam Jordan returning for what could be his final season, Tyree Wilson added this offseason, and Anfernee Jennings joining the rotation. Granderson’s restructure also left future cap hits above $20 million in 2027.
The Saints aren’t moving him, but they do need more from him.
Isaac Yiadom is another veteran who can’t assume anything. He’s in the second year of a three-year, $9 million contract, but his spot may not be nearly as safe as it looks on paper.
He projects as depth in the secondary and could wind up as the fifth defensive back. The problem is that the competition around him is deeper and younger.
Martin Emerson Jr. brings a higher ceiling, and several rookies on cheaper deals also offer special teams value. With Mickey Loomis expected to keep future financial flexibility in mind for upcoming extensions, Yiadom has to show he can beat out younger, less expensive alternatives.
Davon Godchaux rounds out the group. The veteran nose tackle is in the final year of his two-year, $11 million contract and still serves as the Saints’ main run-plugger.
But the push behind him is real. Second-round pick Christen Miller is expected to compete for snaps right away, Bryan Bresee’s role keeps the interior rotation heavy, and the Saints are clearly leaning toward a younger, more athletic defensive front.
If Godchaux slips, New Orleans has plenty of incentive to turn to cheaper options and keep cap space available for what comes next.
The Saints are heading into the second season of the Kellen Moore era, and the roster is going to feel that competition everywhere. For Ruiz, Miller, Granderson, Yiadom and Godchaux, training camp might not just sort out depth charts. It could help decide where they fit in New Orleans going forward.
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