It will be all up to New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to get their rebuilt offensive system installed. During training camp, the team and coaching staff will work tirelessly to try to reduce the growing pains that come with a new approach to the game. However, once the season begins, it will be all up to the players to execute and do so successfully.
The Saints are looking to improve on that side of the ball after changing over offensive coordinators this offseason. To be clear, the team was far from fielding a bottom-of-the-rung unit last season. They ranked No. 14 in overall offense, No. 11 in passing but did rank at just No. 21 in the run game. They were not at the bottom of the NFL, but definitely have room for the improvement they are seeking as a weak schedule and late-game production played a role.
Here are five players that may end up playing the most critical roles to getting their new-look attack off the ground.
QB Derek Carr
This is surely the “duh” statement of the piece, but hang on. This is about much more than Carr playing the most important position in football. Last year’s offense did not seem to really find its footing until about 12 games into the season. After that, things began to cook.
Carr led all quarterbacks (minimum 100 passing attempts) over the final six games of the season in passing touchdowns (15) and completion percentage (74.4%). He also had the highest passer rating (117.2) of that group, the fourth-best success rate (50.8) and only a 1.7% interception rate.
Those are solid numbers. But if he wants to lead the Saints to a more successful season in 2024, he will need to pick up that production well before Week 13. That will be a big test with Carr undergoing the seventh offensive coordinator change of his career. If he can, it would skyrocket the potential for this team in 2024.
OT Taliese Fuaga
The assumption as of right now is that the Saints’ 2024 first-round selection will be playing left tackle for the team this year. Fuaga spent his two seasons at Oregon State playing on the opposite side, but New Orleans moved him over during all of minicamps and OTAs earlier this offseason. That sets up the rookie to hold down the ever-important offensive line role of protecting Carr’s blindside.
If he holds on that responsibility throughout training camp, it sets Fuaga up to hold a crucial role and set of responsibilities in 2024. If he is able to hold off pressure on his quarterback’s most suceptible pursuit angle, it could have a major impact for New Orleans and their new offense.
Per FTNFantasy’s Aaron Schatz (the creator of the DVOA metric), the Saints ranked as 2023’s No. 2 offensive line in DVOA on first and second downs. But plummeted to No. 21 in the league on third and fourth downs. This is reflected in Carr’s sack numbers from 2023:
Some of those third down sacks have a lot to do with Carr waiting for things to develop on third and long. 12 of those 20 sacks took place with 7nor more yards to go for a fresh set of downs. If Fuaga can help to create that extra moment on his side for those opportunities to open up, the team could see itself finding far more third down passing success than it did last year.
RB Alvin Kamara
With Kubiak’s incoming wide zone influence, Kamara should be back in central focus of the offense. Really, any running back that takes snaps for the team will be. These systems tend to bring a running back by committee kind of approach. Fellow backs Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams will play big roles as well. But despite Kamara’s current contract dispute with the team, things should work out to him playing the biggest backfield role from his room. Settign him up with a chance to do some big things this year.
When it comes to players coming out of the backfield and making plays in space, there have not been many as good as Kamara. After a few down years (sub-4 yards per carry in each of the last three years) there is a real chance for him to recapture his playmaking reputation this year. If he does so, he will create ripple effects all across the offense in both the rushing and passing games.
WR Chris Olave
Dynamic offenses need dynamic players and Olave is just that. He may not be the yards after catch threat the Saints’ offense is still very much in need of, but he is the consistent, sure-handed, route-running technician that Carr can rely on game-to-game.
Olave’s development as a contested catch receiver has been evident and so too has his intent to turn the ball upfield coming out of the catch point. That is not to say that he is all of a sudden the league’s best 50-50 ball threat, but his improvements were easy to identify toward the end of last year. Where Olave can reall step up his contributions to the offense will be as a scoring threat above all else. With just nine total touchdowns in his first two seasons, Being the team’s bona fide No. 1 option this season should open up more chances for him to put points on the board for the offense.
QB/TE/RB/WR/RS?ST Taysom Hill
Anyone in need of a reason for why Hill is imperative to the success of the Saints’ offense in 2024 need only read the position designations that are attached to his name. Taking snaps at multiple positions and contributing as a passer, receiver, rusher and blocker, it would be short-sighted to leave him off of this list. Though center Erik McCoy definitely also deserves a ton of consideration here.
Hill’s role looks to be expanding in the team’s new-look attack. With more backfield snaps than seen previous offseason programs thrown in to this year’s OTAs and minicamps. Hill is one of the few Saints that has inarguably been able to completely take over a game on offense in recent years. See his performance against the Seahawks Seahawks in 2022. Now, he will have even more opportunities to shoot for that level of play again in 2024.
Beyond an expanding role, Hill should become a more consistent part of the team’s offense as well. Goem should be the days of his best games being followed up him seemingly disappearing from the gameplan. If Hill can remain a factor while being more consistently woven into the fabric of the team’s offensive tapestry, it would mean big things for the offense.
