Saints Tight Ends May Be The Key To A Win In Thursday's Matchup With Broncos

Saints will likely need a big night from their tight ends in a depleted offense to pull off a victory against the Broncos.

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) is tackled after a catch against the Carolina Panthers / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler gets his second straight start in place of Derek Carr tonight at home against the Denver Broncos. On a short week of preparation, Rattler takes on a fourth ranked Broncos defense and will do it with less than a skeleton crew of a supporting cast.

Center Erik McCoy remains on injured reserve. His backup, Shane Lemieux, is there with him. Starting RG Cesar Ruiz will miss his fourth straight contest, while LG Lucas Patrick is a game-time decision after missing last week. As a result, the Saints interior line has been made up of third-stringers and practice squad players.

Outside of Alvin Kamara, who is dealing with a rib injury, Rattler will also be without all of his top receivers. Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill will all be out of action tonight.

Rookies Bub Means, Mason Tipton, and veteran Cedrick Wilson will be Rattler's top wideouts against the Broncos. The three have combined for only 14 receptions and 116 yards so far this season.

Denver ranks fourth in total defense. They are allowing just 170 yards per game through the air, ranking fifth in the league. They've allowed only two of the six quarterbacks they've faced to throws for over 200 yards, with none reaching the 240 mark.

The Broncos have surrendered just one game of over 75 yards (77) to a wide receiver, with only two others gaining over 50 yards. Even with CB Patrick Surtain (concussion) out this evening, we shouldn't expect a backup crew of New Orleans wideouts to have a highly productive evening.

There is one area where Rattler may have some success tonight. It's also a position that has traditionally had success in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's scheme.

Tight End

New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau (87) catches a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

In an offense desperate for complementary weapons even before Olave and Shaheed were sidelined, New Orleans tight ends contributed little. However, Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau have shown up a bit more in the last two weeks.

Combined, Johnson and Moreau have caught only 21 balls for 230 yards. But, 13 of those catches have come in the last two games. They've also converted a high percentage of their targets, catching 21 of the 24 passes thrown in their direction.

Moreau is the better blocker of the two. At 6'4" and 250-Lbs., he's a traditional in-line tight end. He's also a reliable receiver in short-intermediate areas and provides a sizeable target near the end zone.

Moreau has nine receptions for 112 yards and two touchdowns this season. Other than Shaheed, he's the only New Orleans player to have multiple scoring receptions. He won't threaten teams with his downfield speed and has never been a prolific pass catcher, Moreau had just 21 catches with the Saints last year and season-highs of 33 receptions and 420 yards over a six-year career. However, he can at least be a valuable safety outlet and red-zone target.

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) catches a pass against the Atlanta Falcons / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Johnson entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie wide receiver in 2020. After two years at that position with the Saints, he made the switch to tight end in 2022. While the consistency hasn't always been there, he's provided a valuable matchup weapon for the offense since the switch.

In 2022, his first year at tight end, Johnson had 42 catches for 508 yards and 7 touchdowns. He led the Saints in receiving scores while finishing second in yards and third in receptions.

Banged up a bit in 2023, Johnson's production dipped to 37 receptions for 368 yards and four scores. He ended the season on a tear, however, catching 17 balls for 216 yards and three touchdowns over the final four games.

Foot surgery sidelined Johnson for most of training camp this summer. He'd be back in time for the season opener, but was off to a slow start despite catching a touchdown in opening week.

Johnson has 12 receptions in 14 targets for 118 yards in six games. He's caught 8 of those passes, on eight targets, for 79 yards in the last two weeks. Additionally, he had a key 27-yard catch wiped out by penalty in last week's loss to Tampa Bay.

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) catches a touchdown pass against the New York Giants / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

At 6'4" and 231-Lbs., Johnson presents a size mismatch for corners and some safeties and an athletic advantage over linebackers. He's improved as an in-line tight end and has the route tree of a wideout when he splits out wide or in the slot.

Expect the Saints to use both Moreau and Johnson in a lot of 2-TE alignments against the Broncos. With the team's interior line issues, that could help them run the ball on the edge and provide some additional pass protection on the outside to pinch some of their blocking inside.

The Broncos have allowed a 74% completion percentage to tight ends this season. Opposing tight ends have caught 34 passes for 181 yards and two scores against Denver coverage.

Aside from Raiders TE Brock Bowers, who had eight receptions for 97 yards and a score, no tight end has had huge numbers against the Broncos. However, Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau could provide just enough to give the Saints a productive attack in an otherwise depleted offense.