The NFC South finally has a legitimate starting QB again. The New Orleans Saints have just made the biggest NFC South signing of the spring (even though its only early March) as they signed Derek Carr to a 4 year, $150M deal.
So, is there any reason not to crown the Saints as the 2023/24 NFC South champions right now? No? Didn’t think so.
Okay, just crowing the Saints as the champions without playing a game might be slightly unfair to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers, but are these teams seriously going to pose any challenge to a Saints team with an actual QB?
I mean, the Bucs with Tom Brady finished below .500 for the first and only time in the legendary QB’s 23-year career and he’s now retired, the Panthers had a rotating cast of rejects as their QBs, and the Falcons only have Desmond Ridder on their active roster.
Seeing how the Saints with Taysom Hill, (who is a utility player), Jameis Winston (who is a turnover machine when given freedom of the offense, and ineffective when restricted), and Andy Dalton (who is a backup nowadays) finished 7-10 and just a game behind the Bucs for 1st place in the division, picking up Derek Carr is bound to set them over the edge.
Sure, the Saints are an old, beaten down team that needs to be rebuilt, but the addition of Derek Carr may prolong said fate for another couple of seasons if the likes of Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, etc. can all come back next season and play at an elite level.
Personally, if I was the Saints GM, I’d focus on moving out some of the older pieces on defense, such as Davis (34), Mathieu (30), Marcus Maye (29), and maybe even Cameron Jordan (33), in favor of younger, energetic, and hungrier players as the offense is pretty much set with the addition of Carr.
The Saints already have great complimentary pieces on offense in Chris Olave (72 REC, 1,042 yards, 4 TDs), Jarvis Landry (25 REC, 272 yards, 1 TD), Juwan Johnson (42 REC, 508 yards, 7 TDs), and Alvin Kamara (223 CAR, 897 yards, 2 TDS, 57 REC, 490 yards, 2 TDs), and Michael Thomas (16 REC, 171 yards, 3 TDs) who will be able to help out and elevate Carr, which just leaves the defense to be sorted out.
Obviously, the legal issues with Kamara and the injury concerns with Thomas and Landry are worrying, but I doubt all three of these players will be out for extended periods of the season next year. And, if the Saints management thinks they will, then all they have to do is cut them and bring in new free agents with the salary cap money they just saved by cutting them.
Moreover, Derek Carr showed in his 9-year stint with the Raiders that he can overcome personnel-related issues as he led the Raiders to the playoffs in 2021 when they lost Henry Ruggs (#1 WR) and Jon Gruden (HC), while his 3,522 yards, 24 TDs, and 60% completion percentage stats were not as bad as many would have you believe.
Yes, he wasn’t great, and the Raiders rightfully missed out on the playoffs, but he also wasn’t the main reason as to why that happened. It was the Raiders defense that let the team down on more occasions than naught, while Carr simply couldn’t overcome said setbacks often enough. But that’s a story for another day and another team.
The New Orleans Saints won’t be a 14-3 team next season as they’ve got too many injury and personnel concerns, but they will most definitely be the best team in the NFC South with Derek Carr at the helm.
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