Throughout the month of July, the Last Word on Pro Football department will be taking a look at the three most recognizable faces of each NFL team. For this series, we’ll be looking only at active players.
The New Orleans Saints are just weeks away from the start of training camp. Now is a good time to take a look at which players are the faces of the 2019 New Orleans Saints. This distinction takes into account players whose success on the field will have a large impact, as well as players who stand out because of personality or other factors.
2019 New Orleans Saints: Faces of the Franchise
Drew Brees
Even at 40-years-old, Drew Brees remains the engine to this New Orleans Saints football team. Brees continues to age like fine wine year after year and put up his most efficient season at 39 years old. Not to mention Brees officially become the all-time leader in passing yards, and will likely finish top two in career passing touchdowns. Brees finished the season completing 74.4 percent of his passes and posting his best touchdown to interception ratio with 32 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The best part about Brees’ 2018 season was the fact Brees had his fewest pass attempts in a black and gold uniform with 489. Last year had several similarities to the 2009 Saints Super Bowl team when Brees threw 514 passes that year. The Saints became truly dangerous last season because of their balance with the run and pass.
This season, the offense will start and stop with Brees. It will be interesting to see what kind of passing load Brees has this year to try and preserve Brees for a deep playoff run. The Saints have been knocking on the door with neither of the playoff losses the last two years being directly his fault.
Cameron Jordan
One of the most underrated pass rushers in the league, Cameron Jordan is the heartbeat of this Saints defense. Whether it’s rushing the quarterback, stopping the run or even deflecting balls at the line of scrimmage, there’s nothing Cam Jordan can’t do.
The most important role Jordan will play is helping to manage the locker room. The Saints lost Mark Ingram II to the Baltimore Ravens. Ingram was a big-time leader in the locker room. With the Saints bringing plenty of new faces in, especially on the defensive line, Jordan’s leadership will be crucial for the Saints to build the brother mentality.
Another aspect of Jordan’s game is putting pressure on teams to double team him. Marcus Davenport showed flashes of brilliance last season, and if he can take the next step, the Saints can become the most dangerous defensive line in the league. It will be interesting to see who starts in the interior with Sheldon Rankins continuing to be sidelined with his Achilles injury.
Alvin Kamara
This last player was tough between Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas. Both create mismatches and cannot be guarded one-on-one. However, Kamara gets the edge because he will become the essential feature back in this Saints offense.
Kamara might be the biggest heist in NFL history. The third-year player has a jaw-dropping 31 touchdowns in 31 games, which is insane. The Saints emerging star took charge in the Saints offense last season while Ingram was suspended for the first four games, scoring six touchdowns in that span.
The Saints offensive thrives when multiple backs are contributing, but with Kamara being as versatile as he is, it will be hard to take him off the field. In just two seasons, “AK-41” has catapulted himself into one of the best overall running backs conversation. Not to mention he has caused many defensive coordinators sleepless nights preparing for him. If Kamara can have the same success as he did last season, the Saints will be in position for another Super Bowl run.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
