The New Orleans Saints showed promise in their Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. For a team not expected to be overly competitive this season, it was an encouraging sign. Let’s take a look at the top and lowest PFF graded starters to see if we can find any signs for what to look for going forwards.
Top Graded Offensive Starter: Erik McCoy, 79.7
At this point, Saints fans know what to expect from their stalwart center. Entering his seventh season, McCoy has consistently been above average to borderline great. His start to 2025 was no different.
In Week 1, he was able to regularly control and redirect his defender in the run game while showing quick get off after the snap in pass protection. McCoy has spent his whole career setting an expectation of a high floor, high ceiling level of play and he started the season by meeting that standard.
Lowest Graded Offensive Starter: Cesar Ruiz, 36.5
Cesar Ruiz’s career could best be described as underwhelming. While he’s never been abhorrent, he’s hardly instilled confidence. Last year was seemingly a step forward though, as he graded out as the No. 25 best guard in all of football according to PFF.
Week 1 was, therefore, a large step backwards. He struggled to hold his own in the run game with a run blocking grade of 32.3, being slow off the ball and struggling to make first contact.
He excelled in the pass game though, receiving a 77.5 grade in that facet. Overall, his Week 1 was a disappointing return to early career struggles but showed enough promise that fans shouldn’t write him off quite yet.
Top Graded Defensive Starter: Demario Davis, 90.7
For everything that changes in New Orleans, some things stay the same. The turf in the dome is green, the homeless guy on the corner knows where you got your shoes, and Demario Davis is elite.
The tape backed up this elite grade, showing that even at 36 years old, Davis hasn’t lost a step. Having him and Cam Jordan anchoring this defense both on and off the field is a gift that fans should appreciate before father time beckons further.
Lowest Graded Defensive Starter: Pete Werner, 37.8
On the other end of the spectrum is Davis’ position mate, Pete Werner. However, this one seems like more of an outlier.
Werner has graded out as below average at worst, and very good at best, in his career. Last season, he finished with a very nice grade of 69.0, ranking as the No. 29 best linebacker in all of football. So while this grade may cause some head turning, especially with his 38.3 grade as a run defender, Werner has earned the benefit of the doubt that this is one bad game rather than a sign of regression to come.
The Saints have more to be excited than expected. In addition to McCoy, the offense featured a 77.3 grade from Spencer Rattler (No. 12 at his position) and a 69.1 grade from first-round left tackle Kelvin Banks (No. 17). Defensively, old friend Cam Jordan earned a grade of 80.8 (No. 14) to start his age-36 season.
If they can keep this up, fans may be able to overlook the new uniforms long enough to notice a team that could be further along than initially expected.