The Saints have spent this offseason stacking pieces around Kellen Moore, and that’s starting to shape the conversation in New Orleans. The focus has often been on what all that talent means for Tyler Shough, but former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon pointed to the bigger picture: Moore himself.
Carthon called Moore “one of the better young play callers in this league.” He added, “We’ve seen him have success calling offenses in Dallas, we’ve seen him have success calling offenses in Philly, and now he’s going to be able to continue to grow in New Orleans,”
That’s the kind of endorsement that lands differently when a coach is suddenly working with more firepower than he’s had in a while. Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, Travis Etienne and the rest of the group give Moore a chance to build something that looks far more dangerous on paper than the Saints offense did a year ago. After a season where even a holding call could feel like a drive-killer, the hope is that this version has more answers and fewer dead ends.
Moore’s track record also fits the shape of what New Orleans is building. He’s been around talented receiving groups before, and that’s become part of the pattern.
In Dallas, he had CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper. In Philadelphia, A.J.
Brown and DeVonta Smith were part of the mix, even with Saquon Barkley drawing plenty of attention. And during his year with the Chargers, he briefly had Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
That’s why the Olave-Tyson pairing matters. Carthon was especially high on Tyson, saying, “he was the one wide receiver from the draft class that you saw perform as a number one wide receiver. You can move him around; he can play X, he can play Z, he can play in the slot, and I think he’s going to be a real playmaker for them.”
The Saints also addressed the backfield, and Etienne gives Moore a runner with the kind of résumé that suggests real upside. If he hits, New Orleans could be looking at its first 1,000-yard running back in nearly a decade.
Put it together and the ingredients look familiar for Moore: a strong running game, explosive options outside, and a quarterback in Shough still developing into the role. It’s the kind of setup that makes the Saints offense feel like it’s taking shape all at once.
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Rashid Shaheeds rise in New Orleans has been built on plays that arrive fast and leave a mark, and one of the earliest came in 2022 against Atlanta. A 68-yard touchdown swing in that game captured the kind of instant-impact speed that made him stand out as a rookie, especially for a player who had already shown he could turn limited touches into points from the moment he got on the field.
Shaheed kept expanding that role in 2023, when he became a real factor as both a receiver and a special teams weapon for the Saints. His season was the kind that moved him from intriguing young piece to established contributor, which is why his injury-shortened 2024 campaign carried so much frustration for a team that had seen how dangerous he can be when healthy. [Read more 🡒]
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Tyler Shoughs rookie season gave the Saints something they had been missing: real reason to believe at quarterback. He started nine games, helped New Orleans go 5-3 in his starts and finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race despite playing only about half the season, while the numbers showed a passer who was especially efficient working the middle of the field. The Saints have responded by upgrading the pieces around him, and that kind of support has already started to shape how the rest of the league views the teams direction.
New Orleans went from looking like a club stuck near the bottom of the standings to one that suddenly has momentum, and Shough is the biggest reason why. The next step is the one that matters most, because the Saints are now operating like a team that may have found its answer under center, even if Year 2 is the real test of whether that belief is justified. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Linked To Proven Receiver Fans Have Been Waiting On
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Allen still has the kind of rsum that makes him attractive even as the market sorts itself out, and his production in Los Angeles showed he can still be a reliable piece when healthy. For the Saints, the appeal is obvious: Moore knows what Allen brings, and New Orleans knows it needs more certainty in its passing game, even if no signing or agreement has been reported yet. [Read more 🡒]