Saints Quiet Youth Movement
Much has been made about the age of the New Orleans Saints roster. Many have speculated that 'their championship window has closed', especially since the retirement of Drew Brees after 2020 and the resignation of Sean Payton after 2021.
As is often the case with national ''analysis''; some actual research would have been beneficial. The Saints have just 11 players of their 90-man training camp roster age 30 and over.
• Demario Davis, LB (age 34)
• Cameron Jordan, DE (34)
• Taysom Hill (32)
• Derek Carr, QB (32)
• Bradley Roby, CB (31)
• Tyrann Mathieu, S (31)
• James Hurst, G/T (31)
• Zach Wood, LS (30)
• Michael Thomas, WR (30)
• Marcus Maye, S (30)
• Lou Hedley, P (30)
Yes, some of those players are expected to play critical roles for the Saints in 2023, particularly Davis, Jordan, Carr, Thomas, Mathieu, and Hill. However, they've shown very little to no drop-off in their play as of last season.
Most national circles also conveniently forget the fact that New Orleans is loaded with established stars and rising talent under the age of 30. Some of these players are already considered (or should be) among the best at their positions. Others have had terrific starts to their careers but have yet to hit their prime.
In a July article for Pro Football Focus, writer Brad Spielberger outlines three players that every NFC can build around. Here are the three New Orleans players that Spielberger highlighted for PFF.
• Chris Olave, WR (age 23)
• Ryan Ramczyk, OT (29)
• Marshon Lattimore, CB (27)
New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave (12) runs after a catch against San Francisco 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. (31). Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY
New Orleans’ aggressive approach to the draft looks to have paid off once again, with rookie wideout Chris Olave absolutely bursting onto the scene and ranking ninth among wide receivers with 2.42 yards per route run in 2022. Ryan Ramczyk has been a model of consistency over his first six seasons, never grading below 73.0 as a pass blocker or a run blocker in any year.
The Saints have a lot of older players still leading the way, in particular on defense with Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu. Top cornerback Marshon Lattimore missed a lot of time in 2022 with injury, but in 2021 he led all cornerbacks with 20 forced incompletions and his 22 defensive stops were a top-15 mark. A bounceback in 2023 would go a long way toward keeping this defense performing at a top-10 level.
New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk (71) blocks San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97). Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY
Tough to argue with any of those three. Shutdown corner Lattimore often eliminates an opponent’s best wideout one-on-one. Ramczyk routinely silences some of the league's top edge defenders. Olave looks like a perennial Pro Bowler after just one season.
While still on the front side of 30, Lattimore and Ramczyk enter their seventh seasons of incredibly high level of play. The quiet youth movement for New Orleans also goes far beyond just Olave and what looks like a promising 2023 draft class.
Discounting this year’s rookie class, here's a list of up-and-coming New Orleans players age 25 or younger that have already had an impact.
• Erik McCoy, C (25)
• Pete Werner, LB (24)
• Alontae Taylor, CB (24)
• Rashid Shaheed, WR (24)
• Cesar Ruiz, G (24)
• Trevor Penning, LT (24)
• Paulson Adebo, CB (24)
New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Additionally, running backs Alvin Kamara (27) and Jamaal Williams (28) are also under the magic age of 30, long dreaded for that position. Tight ends Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, DE Carl Granderson, and offseason addition DT Khalen Saunders are all just 26.
The Saints will need to coax at least one more good year out of their 30+ players and need an impact from this year's draft class. But this is hardly a team that's long in the tooth. If their younger players continue to develop, the future looks bright in New Orleans.
