Projecting the Week 1 New Orleans Saints starting offense vs. Packers

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Who will be the first members of the New Orleans Saints offense to hit the field next Sunday? They’ll meet the Green Bay Packers at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville with few certainties beyond the quarterback (Jameis Winston), the lead running back (Alvin Kamara), and the starting five offensive line. It’s early, and maybe the Saints surprise us, but here is our best guess at what the Saints starting offense looks like.

Last year, the Saints’ most-common package on offense featured three wide receivers, a tight end, and a running back in 11 personnel. But there’s been a lot of turnover in the lineup and an emphasis on the running game could see them field two-tight end sets more frequently.

For now, though, I’ll make a couple of quick assumptions: the Saints continue to run 11 personnel on the vast majority of snaps (54% last year), with Tre’Quan Smith healing up well enough to play in Week 1 while Deonte Harris avoids his looming two-game DUI suspension. The Saints mix in more different personnel groupings than almost any other team in the league, but this 11-personnel look remains their bread and butter.

That’s enough window dressing. Here’s the projected starting offense (and you can find my prediction for the starting defense here):

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