It doesn't appear the New Orleans Saints really understand how to rebuild a roster. The 2025 offseason has been a very strange one for the Saints, who started things off by hiring Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their new offensive coordinator.
That move seemed to signify a long-term approach to the roster, but the Saints did not make any moves that indicated anything other than "win now". They surprisingly were aggressive in free agency despite a rough salary cap situation, bringing in veteran safety Justin Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Even more surprising, the Saints didn't seem to have a clear grasp on what the immediate or long-term future would hold for quarterback Derek Carr, which caused them to completely scramble before the 2025 NFL Draft and make a knee-jerk reaction with the selection of Tyler Shough.
Saints are taking the wrong approach to rebuilding in 2025
The Saints used a second-round pick on a raw quarterback prospect who is going to be 26 years old in late September. If Shough can play, there's nothing wrong with his age. If he isn't the starter this year, however?
That's another story entirely.
The Saints are widely considered to be one of the top three or top five worst teams in the league right now, largely because of their quarterback situation. The rest of the roster has interesting highs and lows. There are a lot of notable and very good veteran players on this team, and many in the NFL media felt like it would be in the Saints' best interests to start selling off parts of the roster in trades.
They did not.
In fact, dating back to last year, they made a shocking decision to extend veteran running back Alvin Kamara. They have made no real indication that they're aware of the fact that they could have a rough year in 2025, and the latest evidence of that is their trade with the Denver Broncos for wide receiver Devaughn Vele.
Vele was a 7th-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft who was outplayed in Denver this offseason by Troy Franklin, rookie Pat Bryant, and veteran Trent Sherfield. Even though Vele played a large role for the Broncos last season, his future is tough to predict because he's 27 going on 28 later this year as well.
The Saints gave up a 4th-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a 7th-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft to get Vele. For a team that needs those Day 3 NFL Draft dart throws, giving them up for a player that's going to be 28 later this year and is still developing doesn't seem like the wisest choice.
It feels like the Saints are blissfully unaware of the fact that they are burning valuable assets in free agency and the NFL Draft on older players or players who are on the back half of their careers. Will it be something that bites them down the line? WIll it lead to this team ultimately being as bad as people think for 2025?
There's a lot to unpack with this New Orleans roster, because they do have some good pieces, but so much of what they're hoping for is dependent on the quarterback position hitting. Considering that competition is ongoing now into Week 3 of the preseason, it's not looking great.