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Greg Rosenthal's projected starters for the Saints and the rest of the NFCS:
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
QB: Drew Brees
RB: Alvin Kamara
WR: Michael Thomas
WR: Ted Ginn Jr.
WR: Tre'Quan Smith
TE: Jared Cook
LT: Terron Armstead
LG: Andrus Peat
C: Erik McCoy
RG: Larry Warford
RT: Ryan Ramczyk
DE: Cameron Jordan
DT: David Onyemata
DE: Marcus Davenport
OLB: Demario Davis
MLB: Alex Anzalone
OLB: A.J. Klein
CB: Marshon Lattimore
CB: Eli Apple
CB: Patrick Robinson
S: Vonn Bell
S: Marcus Williams
» Losing Mark Ingram as option 1B in the backfield shouldn't hurt that much. Latavius Murray is a capable replacement and Alvin Kamara is worthy of a bigger workload.
» The wideout spots should be pretty open after Michael Thomas. Ted Ginn Jr. should be safe, although the pecking order between him, Tre'Quan Smith, respectably paid import Cameron Meredith and Keith Kirkwoodseems unclear. Knowing Sean Payton's history, some undrafted rookie will probably beat them all out.
» One of the best -- yet most snakebit -- offensive lines is nearly back to fully intact. The Saints traded up for Erik McCoy to replace Max Unger after his sudden retirement, so why not do it from Day 1?
» Sheldon Rankins' breakout season ended with an unfortunate Achilles tear, so he's not listed among the Week 1 starters. The Saintsare pretty deep at the position, though, with David Onyemata, Malcom Brown and Mario Edwards all able to take snaps.
» Marcus Davenport's maturation could be the difference between a good Saints defense and a great one.
» For years, I wrote in this projected-starters space about the rotating struggles at the Saints' linebacker position. In leader Demario Davis, Alex Anzalone and A.J. Klein, New Orleans finally landed on a combination that works.
» The Saints' secondary play dipped last season, but this is still one of the deepest groups in the league. Getting a healthy Patrick Robinson back in the slot will help. Eli Applewill try to build on his strong play after being acquired from the Giants. The safeties form one of the better young duos in football. An experienced player like P.J. Williams or Ken Crawley might not even make the team.
Biggest change from a year ago: The defense is stable, with answers at every position. When's the last time a Saints team entered a season like that?
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
QB: Drew Brees
RB: Alvin Kamara
WR: Michael Thomas
WR: Ted Ginn Jr.
WR: Tre'Quan Smith
TE: Jared Cook
LT: Terron Armstead
LG: Andrus Peat
C: Erik McCoy
RG: Larry Warford
RT: Ryan Ramczyk
DE: Cameron Jordan
DT: David Onyemata
DE: Marcus Davenport
OLB: Demario Davis
MLB: Alex Anzalone
OLB: A.J. Klein
CB: Marshon Lattimore
CB: Eli Apple
CB: Patrick Robinson
S: Vonn Bell
S: Marcus Williams
» Losing Mark Ingram as option 1B in the backfield shouldn't hurt that much. Latavius Murray is a capable replacement and Alvin Kamara is worthy of a bigger workload.
» The wideout spots should be pretty open after Michael Thomas. Ted Ginn Jr. should be safe, although the pecking order between him, Tre'Quan Smith, respectably paid import Cameron Meredith and Keith Kirkwoodseems unclear. Knowing Sean Payton's history, some undrafted rookie will probably beat them all out.
» One of the best -- yet most snakebit -- offensive lines is nearly back to fully intact. The Saints traded up for Erik McCoy to replace Max Unger after his sudden retirement, so why not do it from Day 1?
» Sheldon Rankins' breakout season ended with an unfortunate Achilles tear, so he's not listed among the Week 1 starters. The Saintsare pretty deep at the position, though, with David Onyemata, Malcom Brown and Mario Edwards all able to take snaps.
» Marcus Davenport's maturation could be the difference between a good Saints defense and a great one.
» For years, I wrote in this projected-starters space about the rotating struggles at the Saints' linebacker position. In leader Demario Davis, Alex Anzalone and A.J. Klein, New Orleans finally landed on a combination that works.
» The Saints' secondary play dipped last season, but this is still one of the deepest groups in the league. Getting a healthy Patrick Robinson back in the slot will help. Eli Applewill try to build on his strong play after being acquired from the Giants. The safeties form one of the better young duos in football. An experienced player like P.J. Williams or Ken Crawley might not even make the team.
Biggest change from a year ago: The defense is stable, with answers at every position. When's the last time a Saints team entered a season like that?