After a disastrous 2024 season, the New Orleans Saints have hit the reset button. With a new coaching staff, a fresh face at quarterback, an overhauled offensive line, and major changes in the secondary, this team is a total wild card entering 2025.
In a year full of unknowns, one thing is certain — the Saints are one of the NFL’s most intriguing storylines. Let’s dive into five bold predictions that could define their season.
1 – Kendre Miller will rush for 500+ yards.
Kendre Miller may be the most underrated RB2 in the league. Despite limited usage in 2024, he flashed elite traits, forcing 13 missed tackles and breaking off six explosive runs of at least 10 yards on only 39 carries. His agility, vision, and burst are undeniable.
The only thing holding him back has been health. But in 2025, behind a dramatically improved offensive line, Miller has the perfect runway to break out. If he stays healthy, 500 rushing yards is closer to a floor than a ceiling.
2 – The Saints will have a top-12 offensive line.
Bold? Sure. Impossible? Not at all.
New Orleans made sweeping changes in the trenches this offseason. The projected starting five — Kelvin Banks, Trevor Penning, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, and Taliese Fuaga — might be the most promising unit the Saints have had in years.
Banks, the ninth overall pick, allowed just four sacks across 1,477 college pass snaps. He’s NFL-ready. Penning’s move to guard plays to his strengths, and early reports suggest he looks far more natural on the interior.
McCoy remains the anchor. If he stays healthy, the line has a veteran leader to stabilize the group. Ruiz continues to develop, and Fuaga showed in his rookie season that he can handle top-tier edge rushers.
With improved coaching and personnel, this line could power both the run and pass game, and finally give the Saints the identity up front they’ve lacked in recent years.
3 – Rashid Shaheed will have 750+ receiving yards.
Rashid Shaheed might be the league’s most dangerous deep threat people don’t talk about.
Despite missing 11 games in 2024, he posted 349 yards on just 20 receptions, averaging 17.5 yards per catch. Projected over a full season, he was on pace for nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.
Now healthy and reportedly 10 pounds stronger, Shaheed has maintained his elite speed while adding physicality to his game.
With a quarterback who can push the ball downfield — whether it’s Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler — Shaheed is poised for a breakout year.
Pencil him in for 750+ yards and a handful of game-changing plays.
4 – Chris Olave will have 8+ touchdowns.
Chris Olave’s 2024 season was derailed by concussions, limiting him to just nine games and stifling his red zone usage. But don’t let last year’s stats detract from the fact that he’s still a top-tier talent.
Before 2024, Olave posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, despite inconsistent quarterback play. With Derek Carr gone and Kellen Moore now calling the shots, the Saints should field a more dynamic and red-zone-efficient offense.
If the new QB can distribute the ball with accuracy and confidence inside the 20, Olave could finally convert his yardage into touchdowns. Expect him to establish himself as one of the NFL’s premier top receivers in 2025.
5 – Kool-Aid McKinstry will be a top-20 CB in the NFL.
Thrown into the fire in 2024 due to injuries in the secondary, Kool-Aid McKinstry held his own — and then some.
His most impressive showing came in Week 18 against Mike Evans, where he notched a key pass breakup and shadowed the All-Pro receiver with confidence. That kind of poise against elite competition is rare for a rookie.
Now entering Year 2 as the projected CB2, McKinstry has the size, footwork, and instincts to make a leap. With more reps and refined technique, he could be the breakout star in a secondary that badly needs one.
A top-20 finish among NFL corners is well within reach.
Final Thoughts
The Saints are entering 2025 as one of the league’s great unknowns. But within the uncertainty lies immense potential. If just a few of these bold predictions come to fruition, New Orleans could go from a 2024 disaster to an incredible rebound story.
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