The New Orleans Saints face off against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10. Although it could be a close battle, the Saints must start addressing their issues, and utilizing two players more effectively could help achieve that.
Replacing Rashid Shaheed: WR Devaughn Vele
When the Saints traded Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks, a hole was created on the roster that must be filled in the short term. The clear replacement would be veteran Brandin Cooks, who has a more similar role to Shaheed, but the answer may actually be Devaughn Vele.
One of the more questionable decisions New Orleans has made in recent times was trading for Vele before the start of the season. The team gave up a fourth-round pick, which wouldn’t have been an issue if Vele was playing a high number of snaps. Instead, Vele has not been utilized enough, and what makes it worse is how good he has looked when thrown to.
If the Saints want to have more success in the passing game and replace Shaheed’s production, playing Vele more must happen.
The Saints’ Rushing Attack: RB Devin Neal
When reviewing the issues that have plagued the Saints’ disappointing season, one of the most significant is the running game. This part of the offense was supposed to be what HC Kellen Moore relied upon to move the offense and win some games. Instead, the Saints’ offense is struggling to find consistency and is having trouble running the ball effectively.
Looking at some of the reasons for the run game struggling, RB Alvin Kamara has to be one of them. Per PFSN’s RB Impact metric, Kamara ranks #34th among all RBs, and these issues could come down to scheme and injuries. The Saints’ star RB has been dealing with an ankle injury all season, and the new power run scheme doesn’t fit his playstyle as much. There is good news: the Saints have a rookie RB who can improve the running game.
Rookie Devin Neal has looked great when utilized in the offense. His blocking has been excellent, he has made catches when needed, and picked up extremely tough yards when running the ball. Like with Vele, HC Moore has not played Neal enough, and this can not continue. If the Saints want any chance of fixing the run game, Neal needs to be utilized in the run game.