Under pressure? These Saints players face the highest stakes in 2024 | Inside Black & Gold

New Orleans Saints training camp is fast approaching for the 2024 season, but the stakes are not the same across the board.

Some players face high expectations while others are fighting for their jobs or another big contract. So who faces the most pressure up and down the roster? That's what we broke down on the latest episode of the Audacy original podcast Inside Black & Gold.

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So how exactly does that list break down? We ranked the top 15 players in that category, which you can see below along with quick breakdowns.

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PLAYERS 15-6 ( click here to listen to the full segment )

15. RB Kendre Miller
Why : You could probably leave Kendre off this list altogether, but I do think there's some pressure to at least show flashes in Year 2 that he could some day lead this backfield as the top option. It doesn't have to be every week, but he does need to show it and, maybe even more importantly, be available a lot more of the time. His camp and preseason showing might be the most important of anybody on this list.

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14. RB Alvin Kamara
Why : For now I'll leave Alvin low on my list, because I really don't think there's a ton of pressure this season, at least not traditional pressure. This offense should work for his skillset and he'll get every opportunity. The biggest difference is the scheme excuses will be gone, so if he doesn't get the job done, this could be his last chance to get the job done. The pressure will be ratcheted up if he forces the Saints hand in terms of a lucrative extension. In that case he'll fly up this list.

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13. DT Khalen Saunders
12. DT Nathan Shepherd
Why : The Saints' run defense was solid at points last year, but it was hardly consistent and that reared its head in a few tough losses (most notably Week 4 against the Bucs and Week 16 against the Rams). These should be the run downs players, so the pressure will be on them to step up, otherwise you might as well give more reps to young players in those situations.

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11. RB Jamaal Williams
10. DE Cam Jordan
Why : I lumped Cam and Jamaal together on this list because I see both as veteran players in a similar situation, granted one is a team legend with a lot more built-in trust. Both guys need to prove they're the best option with high draft picks more than willing to step up in their place. The pressure will be on each to produce early. Cam will have to prove he's still the best option ahead of names like Chase Young, a hopefully healthy Payton Turner and developing Isaiah Foskey. For Williams, he'll have to fend off a young player in Kendre Miller who flashed at the end of last season. Nothing will be handed to the veterans, they'll have to earn it.

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9. LT Taliese Fuaga
Why : You’re a rookie starting at left tackle on Day 1. It’s a position he didn’t really play in college. It’s a job that could get your quarterback killed if he doesn’t do it well. It’s not pressure in the sense that the team is ready to move on if things don’t work out, like it is for some other guys, but it’s certainly game pressure to perform that at a level that we don’t see very often. How he handles it is a massive wild card for this season.

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8. DE Chase Young
Why : I don’t know if there's pressure so much from a Saints perspective … but from a career perspective, man, I don’t know where he goes from here if there isn’t some kind of productivity bounce-back. That’s what the Saints are banking on. That’s why he’s here.

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7. LB Pete Werner
Why : The Saints didn’t bring in Willie Gay to watch. He’ll get on the field. How much will be determined by whether Pete Werner can revert to the form with which he started 2022. The dude was averaging 10 tackles a game over the first month of the season (40 in 4 games). 32 of those were solo tackles. He dealt with injuries and only had 40 total over the final 13 games. He had some nice moments, but he wasn’t a consistent impact player in 2023. He was mostly healthy and started 16 games … but just 93 tackles, 1 pass defensed (one INT) and a half sack, 4 TFLs. We need more.

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6. CB Alontae Taylor (slot)
Why : Can he own that role? It doesn’t look like a spot on the outside is going to open up this year. If he wants to get on the field, it’s got to be here, and Kool-Aid McKinstry will be nipping at his heels if there isn't an improvement on some of the issues from a year ago. That said, there's reason to think Alontae can make strides. He's not in a competition on the outside this year and can focus on the slot throughout camp with a whole season of tape to self-scout and improve on. I'm optimistic.

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PLAYERS 5-1 ( click here to listen to the full segment )

5. WR Chris Olave
Why : This is a tough one, but I do think there’s going to be a lot more pressure on the offense this year to prove it’s got the pieces it needs to compete at a winning level. Four of the next five on the list are defensive players. But this is the year that Olave needs to prove he can be that No. 1 guy, that top option that does two things on a consistent basis: forces a double or feasts. Year 3 is when a lot of guys we look at as star players really broke out. Mike Thomas did it was 125 catches, 1405 yards and 9 TDs. The best comp, IMO, is Ceedee Lamb, who basically did the same thing. A thousand yard/75 catch receiver (more or less) in Years 1 & 2, then exploded for 107 catches, 1359 yards and 9 TDs in Year 3. Tyreek Hill’s breakout? Year 3. Justin Jefferson was monstrous from Day 1, but his 128-catch, 1800-yard season? I’ll let you guess when that was. That year 3 breakout is what you need to see from Olave, and because of that, there’s pressure. If he falls flat and doesn’t take the next step, this offense is in rough shape.

4. TE Juwan Johnson
Why : We’re into the second year of a $12 million contract, which isn’t huge but it’s a solid number for a former WR. He’s got to prove this year that he can be that guy, otherwise IMO you’re back to the drawing board at the tight end position. It’s also not starting well with the foot injury. That only adds pressure, because a slow start like last year will have people calling for a change.

3. CB Marshon Lattimore
Why : This is a tough one, and it’s the best example of a guy who really has nothing he can change in camp beyond looking locked in. It’s all about health. I think beyond this season you’re going to have to make a decision between Marshon and Adebo. They’re only 3 years apart in age. I’m not sure if Adebo’s ceiling is anywhere near Marshon and I don’t think you can pay both.

2. QB Derek Carr
Why : I initially had the QB at No. 1 but thought better of it, because if No. 1 falls flat, Carr's job might become impossible. Realistically speaking any list of players facing the most pressure should always include the quarterback. How can it not? It’s the most important position on the field. Even Pat Mahomes should feel pressure to prove it every year. And that’s where Carr is. I mean, his 2023 season wasn’t THAT bad. Right? You look at the end of the year and his numbers are pretty close to his career averages. We’re talking more than 3500 yards. More than 20 TD passes. Fewer than 10 interceptions. More than 68% completions. In today’s NFL, those are workable stats. But when you watched it play out over the course of the season, it’s clear consistency was an issue. So … can you correct that? And the funny thing is I don’t even know if it’s his job on the line, per se, moreso than it is Dennis Allen’s. They’re tied together in a way you don’t see for many defensive coaches and their QBs. That means pressure.

1. RT Trevor Penning
Why : This is do or die time, at least for the tackle version of Trevor Penning. What you can say to his credit is that he never really got an offseason between Years 1 and 2 and he was rushed in before he was ready. That’s not an excuse anymore. You had a full offseason. You have five games of starting tape to build from. You have a “fresh start” at a new position. This is the season you either swim or you hope you can turn into Ereck Flowers in a desperation move to guard. In the end it's not all on Penning, he's just the most glaring concern across an offensive line with a lot of concerns that could be equally damaging for the Saints' hopes this year. Thus, pressure.

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