NFL power rankings: Who is biggest threat to Patriots?
By Brad Weiss
New Orleans Saints
, NFC South
The New Orleans Saints will be one of those teams that can go in either direction this season, as they do have the firepower to win games. The problem is that the NFC South is going to be loaded, with any team in the division capable of winning the crown. New Orleans still has one of the best quarterbcks in the league in Drew Brees, so they can never be counted out, even if they are down late in the game.
Prior to the 2017 NFL Draft, the Saints traded Brandin Cooks to the New England Patriots, as they felt Michael Thomas could handle being a WR1. Thomas had a breakout season as a rookie in 2016, and is the unquestioned top option at the wideout position. Tight end Coby Fleener is also a serious threat in the passing game, so the lack of Cooks should not affect the play of Brees too much.
At running back, the Saints made their biggest splash of the offseason, bringing in former Minnesota Vikings All-Pro Adrian Peterson. While Peterson is no longer the workhorse he used to be, he will be used as a nice compliment to Mark Ingram. This gives Brees two legitimate threats in the backfield, which should open up the passing game even more in 2017.
The problem for the Saints has always been their defense, but they did look to bring in talent to help out on that side of the ball this offseason. They spent a first round pick on Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who many believed was the best player at his position in the draft class. Their defensive line is solid, especially with Cameron Jordan on the edge, but there are too many question marks on that side of the ball to call them a guaranteed playoff team at this point.