These three Saints have a lot to prove ahead of this season.

The New Orleans Saints roster has many questions surrounding both young players and aging veterans. Some players are on large contracts, others had lots of capital used to acquire them. With the cost of acquiring these players being so expensive, there is always the expectation of these players performing well. Here’s a look at the top Saints players under the most pressure ahead of the 2024 season.

Derek Carr

Quarterback Derek Carr is entering the second season of a 4-year $150 million contract with the Saints. Carr struggled in his first season with the team finishing the year with 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions leading to a 9-8 record. Statistically, Carr’s season on paper wasn’t bad, but the expectations coming to New Orleans and signing a large contract asked for more than a barely over .500 record.

Carr suffered an injury during the Saints Week 3 matchup with the Green Bay Packers that would stick with him for the rest of the season. Along with dealing with a season-long injury to their quarterback, the offense also housed the 32nd-ranked offensive coordinator in the league, Pete Carmichael. The Saints would part ways with Carmichael during the start of the offseason and bring in San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak. The vision with Kubiak is to modernize a very outdated offense and take advantage of Carr’s strengths. Going into the 2024 season, Carr will be fully healthy with a new highly respected OC calling the plays. If Carr is unable to perform, there are a couple of hungry rookie quarterbacks behind him ready for an opportunity.

Alontae Taylor

Cornerback Alontae Taylor had an up-and-down rookie year but garnered a lot of hype heading into his sophomore season before losing the CB2 battle to Paulson Adebo. Taylor was forced to play in the slot for the 2023 season, a position he is not familiar with. Adebo would go on to have a breakout season as the Saints CB2 solidifying his position while Taylor struggled in his new position earning a 45.7 grade from Pro Football Focus. New Orleans would continue the pressure on Taylor by adding Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry in the 2024 NFL Draft. Taylor, a former second-round draft pick in 2022, has to perform in 2024 or he will likely be benched making room for McKinstry as a starter.

Trevor Penning

Trevor Penning played minimal snaps during his rookie year before getting the opportunity to start at the beginning of his second season. Penning’s flaws showed early during the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Tennessee Titans which saw Titans’ defensive end Arden Key being credited with 1.5 sacks in the matchup. Penning would only last as a starter for five games before finishing the season as a backup. The lack of optimism shown through Penning’s two seasons is becoming a big concern as he is a former first-round draft pick who cost the Saints multiple first-rounders to trade up for. During OTA’s, the 6’7 tackle was taking snaps at right tackle and is likely to be positioned there for as long as he is a starter with rookie first-round pick Taliese Fuaga taking Penning’s old spot at left tackle. New Orleans has shown that they won’t play Penning if he isn’t able to perform and 2024 will be no different for the 25-year-old tackle.