Saints breakout candidates moving forward
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints have a lot of young guys that need to step it up. Demario Davis is gone, Cameron Jordan hasn’t returned, and Alvin Kamara hasn’t looked like his old self. With that said, I’m going to lay out Saints breakout candidates in 2026.
Kelvin Banks Jr.
Kelvin Banks Jr. has a lot of potential as a run stopper. He had a PFF run grade of 76.2. He has flashes that remind me of Trent Williams. He is still 22 years old, so he still has plenty of time to develop. Let’s not forget that former Saints LT Terron Armstead struggled early in his first season. He did have 12 flags, so he needs to clean that up.
Bryan Bresee
Bryan Bresee has one of the best spin moves among defensive tackles. Somehow, he only had 2.5 sacks before. He needs to be more than a pressure machine. He can’t be too much like former Saint Junior Galette, who had an infinte amount of pressures with very few sacks. Bresee needs to get more in the backfield in the run game.
Danny Stutsman
The Saints obviously felt somewhat comfortable with Danny Stutsman if they didn’t break the bank for Demario Davis. They have Christian Ellis, but I expect Stutsman to get a lot of playing time in short yardage situations. Stutsman is also noted as a breakout candidate by Canal Street Chronicles.
DeVaughn Vele
Vele was really looking like Marques Colston and even Michael Thomas as the season went along. He could run routes across the middle and handle the big hits that went his way. It was hard for Sean Payton to move on from him. With Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson being the big duo, there will be less attention on Vele.
Kendre Miller
I believe that Kendre Miller can beat out Alvin Kamara for reps, as Kamara was dubbed the worst RB by PFF last season. Miller can really hit the hole and drag defenders. With Taysom Hill out, Kendre can get more reps in short yardage and in goal-line situations.
Tyler Shough
Obviously, it’s somewhat easy to peg a QB as a breakout candidate. It’s still worth mentioning Tyler Shough. Fox Sports labeled Shough as the favorite player to break out in 2026. He really had some wow moments last season. He went 5-4. Hopefully, he can bring the Saints back to the playoffs next season.
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