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By Bob Rose

Heading into the 2019 draft, the New Orleans Saints were looking to replace their Pro Bowl center Max Unger, who had retired after the previous season. New Orleans did not have a selection until the end of the second round, but swung a trade with the Miami Dolphins to move up to the 48th overall pick. The Saints used that pick to draft Erik McCoy, an impressive offensive lineman from Texas A&M.

McCoy was installed as the immediate starter and successor to Unger at center. He would start every game for the Saints during the 2019 season, playing in 99% of the offensive snaps. The 22-year-old McCoy anchored a New Orleans offensive line that allowed only 24 quarterback sacks and averaged nearly 109 yards per game on the ground. He finished the year as a Pro Bowl alternate and was voted onto the 2019 All-Rookie team.

The 6’4", 314-pound McCoy has good quickness and excellent strength for the position. He gets into his pass protection stance quickly, setting a good anchor against power rushers and staying light on his feet to handle finesse moves. He fires off the snap with terrific power as a run blocker and uses terrific technique and leverage to gain an advantage, along with the quickness to get to the second level of a defense effectively. His ability to handle the league’s best interior linemen one on one gives the New Orleans line a big advantage when attacking defenses. ...

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By Dr. C. | Sports Illustrated

The New Orleans Saints fans may experience home games radically differently this season. COVID-19 guidelines are putting an extreme limit on large gatherings, and the NFL is no exception. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome’s capacity is 74,000 fans, but the 6 feet rule could cap attendance to only 13,000 fans (17.5%).

The NFL has yet to release official instructions for fans, but ASM Global Vice President Doug Thornton is moving forward with more details on the social-distance experience at Saints home games. He believes that they can manage social distancing mandate, but the ASM Rep stressed over 17.5% is needed in the Dome. Thornton is working closely with the Saints to find innovative ways to increase the arena’s capacity safely.

“The Saints have been good at using their business models to help us create a seating manifest that allows us to adhere to the six-foot distancing rule but still increase the capacity,” Thornton said. One idea mentioned is to seat fans in pods of four, six, or eight and allow families traveling together to sit in the same sections. Thornton's goal is to increase attendance to 20,000 - 30,000, if not higher. ...

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By Mike Detillier

One of the most talked about offseason topics for the New Orleans Saints this year has been about the future of halfback Alvin Kamara.

Kamara is in the final year of his original contract when the New Orleans Saints selected him in the second-round in 2017.

Kamara has been a vital cog in Sean Payton’s offense as both a runner and receiver.

The issue is how much are the Saints willing to pay Kamara on a long-term deal knowing the team has potential deals to be done in the near future with linebacker Demario Davis, the best right tackle in pro football in Ryan Ramczyk, one of the best young cover cornerbacks in the league in Marshon Lattimore and a promising defensive tackle in Sheldon Rankins, who has had injuries each of the past two seasons.

There is no doubt that the halfback position in the NFL has been devalued and it shows up big on draft day.

In the 2019 NFL draft, there was only one running back selected in Alabama’s Josh Jacobs, who the Oakland Raiders selected in the first-round. Penn State halfback Miles Sanders, who the Philadelphia Eagles selected in the second-round, was the only halfback selected in the second round in 2019.

In the 2020 NFL draft, there was only one running back — LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire of the Kansas City Chiefs — selected in the first-round, with D’Andre Swift (Detroit Lions), Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), Cam Akers (Los Angeles Rams), J.K. Dobbins (Baltimore Ravens) and A.J. Dillon (Green Bay Packers) going in the second round this spring.

In April, the Carolina Panthers gave halfback Christian McCaffrey a 4-year contract extension worth $64 million dollars...

By John Sigler | Saintswire

Deonte Harris is one of the brighter young stars of the New Orleans Saints, having made the leap from small-school Assumption College to the NFL, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition along the way. Harris shredded opponents on special teams while returning punts and kickoffs, finally plugging a position of need the Saints had spent nearly a decade fumbling with.

The second-year pro appeared on the Straight up Saints podcast to discuss his breakout 2019 season, as well as his ambitions for 2020 and beyond. One area of improvement Harris has focused on is his untapped potential as a pass-catcher, saying, “I want to be more involved in the offense and help us put more points on the board. I want to do what I did on special teams, but I also want to play a role on offense and help out as much as I can.”

And he feels fortunate to be surrounded by examples of success like Michael Thomas and now, Emmanuel Sanders. The Saints inked Sanders to a two-year contract early in free agency, and Harris is eager to see the NFL veteran in action once the team gathers for training camp.

Full Story - Saintswire