New Orleans Insider Assesses the Saints' 2026 Offseason

The New Orleans Saints have been primed for a breakout since Tyler Shough established himself as a legitimate starting quarterback last season. The proof is in how Shough is viewed not only across the National Football League, but among this year's 2026 NFL draft class.

Building around Shough has been the theme of the offseason after the quarterback took a then 2-10 team and helped them win four of their last five games. That said, the Saints had to deal with that same stingy team building barrier that has stymied their last few offseasons: The salary cap.

New Orleans started the offseason well over the cap but managed to make the necessary restructures to make a dent in 2026 free agency. Saints' insider Katherine Terrell wrote the following of how the offseason has gone so far.

"Did the Saints hit their free agency goals? Yes. Their priority was to fix their run game, and they made big moves to do that. New Orleans signed Edwards and Etienne to try to improve in that area. It also signed punter Ryan Wright to turn around some of its special teams struggles from last season.

Biggest remaining roster holes: Wide receiver or defensive end. The window hasn't shut for the Saints to re-sign Jordan, their franchise sack leader, as negotiations remain ongoing there, but if Jordan doesn't return, then the Saints probably will be looking to add to their pass-rush rotation. Wide receiver remains a priority after the Saints chose not to sign any in free agency."

That Cameron Jordan could possibly return likely comes as a surprise to many after the team and Jordan were not able to reach an agreement on a contract like they were with fellow Saints veteran Alvin Kamara. That said, New Orleans has done a great job of keeping enough of the roster in place and adding at key positions to be a viable contender next season.

The Saints' lack of a wide receiver signing might come from confidence they can find their No. 2 receiver in the NFL draft. After all, the draft is where the team has shined in team building of late. After arguably the NFL's best draft last season, the Saints are primed to draft in a great position for an impact player with the No. 8 overall pick.

Having avoided overspending with key signings like running back Travis Etienne, linebacker Kaden Elliss and other impactful additions, New Orleans is set up to address all their needs in the upcoming draft. We'll see where they go with their first pick in April.