Why Have Saints Tight Ends Been Missing From the Passing Game?

New Orleans Saints tight ends deserved their offseason hype, but have not seen the targets many expected. What's the cause?

METAIRIE -- Before the 2023 NFL season began, there was a lot of warranted excitement around the New Orleans Saints tight end room. With the return of Juwan Johnson, the additions of veterans Jimmy Graham and Foster Moreau and the contributions of Taysom Hill, the expectations around the unit's ability to produce as pass-catchers were high. Saints coaches even made it known their intent to get Hill more involved in the passing game.

However, things have not panned out as many had predicted. The room has only reeled in a total of 12 catches for 107 receiving yards on just 19 targets. Or 10 catches for 99 receiving yards on 15 targets if  Hill is removed from the equation, which seems unnecessary. 

Sep 10, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) runs after a catch against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Graham caught the group's only touchdown of the season so far just last week in the Week 3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. So why the lack of production in the passing game for a unit that looked primed to be one of the league's best in that area? Well, turns out the barrier to success may have little to do with the position group's ability and more to do with struggles elsewhere.

Protection in both the run and pass games have left much to be desired for the Saints offense. The team has already surrendered 12 sacks, 20 hits on the quarterback and a ton of pressure. Because of these concerns, two things have happened. 

The first of which is that Saints tight ends are being asked to either stay back in protection or are being asked to "chip" a pass rusher as they release from the line of scrimmage. Chipping a pass rusher consists of making contact with that player as one releases from the line in order to give aid to the offensive lineman matching up with them. This might help to get the opposing defender off-kilter a bit and make the job of the primary blocker a touch more manageable. The downside is that it delays the tight end's release and ability to run their route in the time necessary to meet the rhythm of the playcall.

Secondly, New Orleans had to turn to a heavier line against the Packers, especially once starting right guard Cesar Ruiz had to leave the game under concussion protocol. The Saints have only run 7 offensive plays this season with more than five offensive linemen. Six of those reps came against Green Bay, all of which after Ruiz was off the field. This was especially true in a game wherein the team was already missing Moreau, who has been fantastic in protection on both offensive phases.

Aug 27, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Foster Moreau (82) looks on during pregame against the Houston Texans at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The reason this matters is two-fold. The most obvious being that typically when a sixth offensive lineman or "jumbo tight end" is on the field, he is taking the place of a tight end. On each of the team's six jumbo set snaps in Green Bay, there was never more than one tight end on the field. In several cases no tight end was on deployed. The other nuance is that the offensive playcalls are limited once an additional lineman is sent out on the field.

Usually, a team's playcall sheet with have a collection of runs, play action passes or moving pockets to call from jumbo sets. That further reduces the usage opportunities for a tight end to be involved as a pass-catcher. Especially considering the Saints' tendency to run from these formations at least a majority of the time.

Saints tight ends have been asked to stay back and block on 151 of their combined 316 offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus. That is a hefty 47.8% of their snaps through the first trio of games. But there is good news there. Believe it or not, that percentage is down from the same span to open the 2022 season where tight ends served in protection on 59% (137/259) snaps. In fact, the receiving stats are not wildly dissimilar either between the two season's first three games for the group.

2022: 16 targets, 9 catches, 99 receiving yards and no touchdown catches
2023: 19 targets, 10 catches, 107 receiving yards and 1 touchdown catch.

Last year, the Saints tight end group did not reel in a receiving touchdown until Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks when former Saint Adam Trautman notched his lone touchdown catch of the season. Then, the floodgates opened for Johnson beginning in Week 7 when he would go on to tally 7 receiving touchdowns in the final 10 games.

Hopefully those floodgates open up soon for New Orleans. Graham has already logged the team's first score. But the targets are much harder to come by than many anticipated before the season. The Saints have a remarkably talented room and a starting quarterback that historically loves targeting tight ends in Derek Carr. The same applies to quarterback Jameis Winston who will likely start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4.

One more factor that could cut into the targets for this group is simple. The Saints' have an elite trio of wide receivers that rightfully command a lot of attention. Last season, total of six different receivers accumulated 75 targets through the first three games. Even though only four wideouts have been targeted so far this season, they have still earned 71 targets among them. New Orleans has become a perimeter passing team over a middle-of-the-field attack. Which is usually detrimental to the numbers for tight ends.

Field Area	Passing Attempts
Middle of field	33
Perimeter	48

Note: the chart above contains information fro Pro Football Focus and accounts for 81 of Carr's 87 passing attempts which does not include batted passes and throwaways.

That is a nearly 60/40 split for a quarterback that has hovered around a 50/50 split over the past two seasons. Now, with only two and a half games to account for when it comes to Carr, it is obvious that these field attacks and percentages can even out. But a concerted effort to attack the middle of the field could go a long way to benefit a Saints offense that averages just 17.7 points per game so far this year.

For the record, Winston put 9 of his 16 passing attempts (one throwaway) over the middle when he hit the field in relief of Carr. If that trend continues against the Bucs, whether Winston or Carr under center, that could go a long way in getting the tight ends rolling.

Could this be the week we see the New Orleans offense leaning more on its talented tight end room? Or is the protection still too concerning to open the offense up? We will soon find out. But one way or another, the team should not wait much longer before figuring out how to utilize the tight end talent they have assembled, which could even be a major asset in the quick passing game to help alleviate some of the early pressure their passers have been facing.