The Saints Need To Improve From This Offensive Personnel Group

The New Orleans Saints offense is the talk of the town in 2026. While the offense didn't exactly roll on all cylinders, it did improve with Tyler Shough settling in and his playmakers blossoming with more playing time. Add in the draft pick Jordyn Tyson, the free agent signing of Travis Etienne, and the jump from Shough with second-year head coach Kellen Moore as a playcaller, and the Saints' offense is set for a huge leap in 2026. 

There is one glaring need for improvement for the Saints offense besides improving the run game. 

The Saints were fourth in the NFL in 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) last season, with over a ten percent increase over the league average of 56.44%. 

The numbers are unkind despite a top-five usage. The numbers can feel skewed by how the offense struggled early on, and the jump from the weapons didn't happen until the end of the season. 

The Saints' offense finished with an EPA rank of 26th in 11 personnel at a total EPA of -43.46. The league average per play is 0.01.

The Saints pass out of 11 personnel 70.01% of the time, which is good for the tenth-highest rate. Running the football is a struggle with an EPA of -0.11 per rush. Not that the EPA per pass is that much better coming in at -0.04. 

As far as 12 personnel goes (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR), the Saints rank 24th in the NFL with 16.84% of their plays coming from the grouping. The league average is 22.34%.

Moore and his offense are above the league average of three receiver sets and below the average with two receivers on the field. The 11 personnel numbers should jump with Tyson, Chris Olave, and either Devaughn Vele, Ja'Lynn Polk, or Bryce Lance manning the third spot. 

Bottom line is the Saints offense needs to have more stability and balance which comes from running the football successfully regardless of their preferred personnel groups. Etienne and a fully healthy offensive line should help that, but one thing is clear, Moore wants the Saints to put the football in the air.