Saints find themselves in Tier 4 in this NFC hierarchy

[EliteOne]

As the New Orleans Saints prepare for the 2024 draft, NFL.com columnist Jeffri Chadiha has the Saints on the second lowest tier in the NFC. Chadiha broke the NFC hierarchy down into five tiers: Super Bowl contenders, teams with playoff potential, those with intriguing possibilities, others facing a tough road ahead, and some for whom next year can’t come fast enough. Oddly, but appropriately enough the Super Bowl contender tier has the most teams. The Saints find themselves in the “tough road ahead” group. The difference between Tier 4 and Tier 3 is the latter is believed to have a higher ceiling due to unknown variables. The only teams residing there are the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears. The Saints don’t have a new coach or quarterback, so their outlook is viewed bleakly. The combination of Dennis Allen and Derek Carr didn’t inspire much confidence last season. Here’s why Chadiha is low them: The Saints’ problem is that this team has plateaued. A good defense is hoping for stellar play from aging stars like defensive end Cam Jordan (who turns 35 in July), linebacker Demario Davis (who’s already 35) and safety Tyrann Mathieu (who turns 32 in May). The offense has playmakers in running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Chris Olave, but quarterback Derek Carr is now the third-best signal-caller in the division. This team won nine games in 2023. It will have a hard time doing that again. Speaking of division, the Atlanta Falcons have themselves in the playoff potential level. The addition of Kirk Cousins puts them as the favorite in the division, but they aren’t alone in that tier. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ surprising 2023 campaign paired with three consecutive playoff berths make it hard to count them out. The Carolina Panthers are the only team on a lower tier than the Saints. It’s on New Orleans to prove their doubters wrong. Saints punter Lou Hedley has chosen a new jersey number6 Saints in the spotlight as offseason kicks offSaints bringing back more depth at cornerback for 2024NFL writer lays out a burning question the Saints must answer
Email


Sign up Like this article? Sign up for the Saints Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning An error has occured Please re-enter your email address. Thanks for signing up! You'll now receive the top Saints Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

Source: https://saintswire.usatoday.com/2024/04 ... in-kamara/