Which Saints players need to improve on their 2023 campaigns the most?
1. Jamaal Williams
Jamaal Williams scored 17 touchdowns in 2022, and just 1 in 2023 on the New Orleans Saints’ last play of the season. Williams started slow at the beginning of the season as he was limited by a hamstring injury sustained in Week 2 that caused him to miss four games. Hamstring injuries usually limit a player throughout the entire season even if they are able to return to the field. Williams was set to be the bell cow early in the year while Alvin Kamara was out but was only able to play 1.5 games and never managed to get it going last year. Let’s hope he is able to stay healthy this season, as if he does, he and Kamara could at last become the formidable duo we thought we were getting when the Saints signed Williams from Detroit last offseason.
2. Marshon Lattimore
The Saints top cornerback missed just eight games in his first five seasons, but now has missed 17 in the last two. Lattimore is still one of the best CBs in the NFL but has not been able to stay healthy recently. He also was the subject of trade rumors the whole offseason, but the Saints have stated that they never considered trading him. Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor both look like solid options and rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry has a lot of promise. Lattimore needs a healthy 2024 to prove the Saints should stay invested in him long-term, and the Saints need Lattimore to stay healthy too, as he is still their best defensive back when on the field and 100%.
3. Blake Grupe
Blake Grupe’s rookie season was shaky, which is not exactly the word you want to use when describing a kicker. Grupe made 30 of 37 kicks for a percentage of 81.1% which ranked 27th in the NFL. On the other hand, he had stretches that showed promise, such as making 10 of his first 11 kicks to start the year and hitting 5 FGs against the Falcons while also making the most extra points without a miss in the NFL. Last season, he did not have much competition after the Saints traded away long-time kicker Wil Lutz, who outperformed Grupe last season for the Broncos. But this year the Saints have brought in Charlie Smyth out of Ireland to compete to be the starting kicker. If Grupe wants to keep his position he is going to have to show more consistency than he did in 2023, otherwise it may be time to turn to the Irishman.
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