The New Orleans Saints don’t need a perfect formula to climb back to the top of the NFC South. They need one obvious thing to get a lot better: the run game.
That’s the clearest takeaway from Ben Solak of ESPN, who included the Saints in his 10 predictions for the upcoming NFL season and picked them to win the division. The case starts with the state of the NFC South itself, which has been shaky enough in recent years that the bar for grabbing first place hasn’t exactly been sky-high. Solak pointed out that the Panthers won the division a season ago with an eight-win, losing record.
He also sees reason to believe New Orleans can take advantage. Tyler Shough’s rookie performance, in Solak’s view, was good enough to keep the Saints in the mix, and the defense earned plenty of praise too. Solak singled out what Brandon Staley did on that side of the ball in just one season.
But if the Saints are going to turn that into a division title in 2026, the offense has to do its part. More specifically, the ground game has to stop dragging everything down.
"The Saints' chances of winning the South rest in the improvement of their offense. A full offseason of Shough as the unquestioned QB1 should allow the Saints to pick up right where he left off," Solak wrote.
"The better news for Shough is how much the Saints' running game is about to improve. From Week 9 on (Shough's starts), the Saints were 31st in yards per rush and rushing success rate.
Save for the Raiders, this was the worst rushing attack in football -- and it was clearly the offseason priority for coach Kellen Moore and general manager Mickey Loomis."
That’s the hinge point for New Orleans. The Saints were only two games behind first place last year even after a rough start and a bad rushing attack, which leaves plenty of room for a jump if the offense can simply become competent on the ground.
The hope now is that Travis Etienne in black and gold, along with the improvements made up front, gives that unit the boost it needs. If the Saints get even a modest upgrade there, it could be enough to separate them from the rest of a weak division and put New Orleans back on top for the first time since Drew Brees retired.
In Other News...
Steve Gleasons Message To Chris Johnson Will Hit Saints Fans Hard
Chris Johnsons ALS revelation landed with a familiar and painful force for Saints fans, because the league has long known the disease through Steve Gleasons battle. Johnson shared his diagnosis in a recent interview, and the news immediately brought Gleason back into the conversation, not as a football figure this time but as someone who has lived the same cruel reality since 2011. For New Orleans, Gleason has become more than a symbol of resilience, and his response carried the kind of weight only this community can fully appreciate.
Gleason has used his platform to back Johnson publicly while also pointing to the work of his foundation for people living with ALS, a reminder that the fight goes well beyond one player or one team. His message was rooted in solidarity and hope, the kind of support that matters when a former star is still trying to absorb how far the disease has advanced. For Saints fans, it is another hard reminder of how ALS keeps testing people who once seemed larger than the game itself. [Read more 🡒]
Easton Kilty Faces A Defining Saints Camp Battle Up Front
Easton Kilty is back in New Orleans and trying to make the leap from developmental project to real roster candidate as he enters his second NFL season. The undrafted offensive tackle spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad after signing with the Saints in 2025, then returned on a reserve/futures deal that kept him in the mix heading into camp.
Now the battle gets more complicated, because Kilty is trying to carve out a place on an offensive line the Saints spent the offseason trying to strengthen. He brings a solid college rsum from North Dakota and Kansas State, but camp is where that background has to turn into proof, and for Kilty the next few weeks will go a long way toward showing whether he can stick when the competition tightens. [Read more 🡒]