It almost goes without saying by now that the 2024 NFL draft is going to be pivotal for the New Orleans Saints, but it doesn’t hurt to use more examples to drive that point home. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon shared one piece of advice for every team going into this year’s draft, but his take on the Saints’ best path forward isn’t exactly encouraging.
“Be prepared to throw in the towel and start the rebuild,” Gagnon wrote, “because it has to happen eventually and this roster still isn’t good enough.”
As pessimistic as that may sound, let’s address the sentiment with the same level of bluntness. The Saints aren’t far from this being their reality. A year from now the Saints could be in a rebuild wishing they had started it a year early. With the age of Demario Davis (35), Cameron Jordan (34), and Tyrann Mathieu (31), New Orleans could be forced into this at any time. Their defense needs an injection of young talent.
Today is not the day. Dennis Allen has done nothing to afford the luxury of being the Saints’ head coach to lead them through a rebuild. That process should come with a new coach and new quarterback. This is Derek Carr’s second year in black and gold. He’ll get another year to right the ship after the Saints restructured his contract, tying themselves to him tighter.
The Saints can still compete for the NFC South title and aren’t far from being able to win a playoff game. They dismantled the same Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles just a few weeks later. They aren’t competing for any Super Bowls, but they aren’t a bottom-feeder who should throw in the towel. The way their roster is constructed, they couldn’t reboot right now even if they wanted to. The NFC South is still within their reach and that goal will prevent them from throwing in the towel as Gagnon suggests.
