From 2022, every position group will have a grade
The New Orleans Saints ended the 2022 season with a disappointing 7-10 record. A lot of blame is going to Dennis Allen, Pete Carmichael and others in their first year as new players. However, there were many steps back that need to be taken this year. Some players performed well and surprised fans.
Here’s a report card for the 2022 Saints season, grading each position group on the team.
Quarterback: C-
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Andy Dalton’s season was mostly serviceable. He lost some games but he won others. He was able to move the ball well enough to complete the job most of the time. Taysom Hill’s snaps at quarterback also needed to happen more often, a full two-quarterback system could have worked well this year.
Running back to C+
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Alvin Kamara scored four touchdowns last year, which is a significant improvement over the previous season, but it’s still not as impressive as the running back fans remember. This has a lot to do the disappointing offensive line.
Kamara was only one of many replaceable performers. Mark Ingram II, David Johnson, Eno Benjamin, and a couple of other backups didn’t make much of a splash.
Wide Receivers: C+
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Chris Olave was a good leader, while Rashid Shaheed was a rookie, but they gave it their all. Olave looks like primed to be the team’s top target for a while, he was the only receiver to have over 500 yards. Shaheed will be an interesting piece. If he is healthy, Michael Thomas could be the target for big-bodied men. Jarvis Landry missed half the season. This was not as significant as they had hoped. They need more reliable people to fill the room.
Strenuous Ends
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This room was probably the least under-performing, considering the expectations. Juwan Johnson is a promising option in the passing department. Adam Trautman, although he didn’t get many targets, did well as a receiver and is still an excellent blocker.
Offensive line: D-
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The Saints gave up 38 tackles, their most since 2005. Alvin Kamara also had the worst average number of yards gained prior to contact with defense. Both pass and run protection saw a decline this season. The underperforming line caused a lot of offense problems.
Protective Line: C+
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Outside of Cameron Jordan and David Onyemata, it’s hard to point to another player on the defensive line that really stood out. Marcus Davenport produced almost nothing. They were among the lowest ten in rush defense. This is a rare feat for the Saints.
Linebackers: A+
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Despite a slow start, Demario Davis proved to be just as dominant as ever. The second half of the season was dominated by Kaden Elliss. These two were a major reason why the Saints were the best team for sacks. They combined for nearly as many as the Chicago Bears as a team. Pete Werner was recovering from an injury and seemed to be moving forward.
Cornerbacks: C-
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Alontae was promising, but still needed to work out some rookie issues. Paulson Adebo’s sophomore season was very difficult. It looked almost impossible to play at times. After trading Chauncey Gardner Johnson in the offseason, they never managed to get the nickel spot figured out. Marshon Lattimore is a good player, but he was injured for more than half of the season.
Safety: B-
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Tyrann Mathieu overcame his slow start to finish with a solid season. Pro Football Focus ranked him as a top five safety. Marcus Maye played well, but was out of action for a lot due to injury. Maye’s replacement cast looked exactly like Maye’s replacement.
Special Teams: C –
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Wil Lutz only made 74% of his kicks in his worst year. Blake Gillikin had a great second season, following up his good rookie year. He did a better job at catching punts from the 20 yard line, which is one the most crucial aspects of a punters’ game.