NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
(Sunday, Oct. 25, 9:30 a.m. at Stade de France)
Series: Saints 9-8
Last meeting: Steelers 20, Saints 10 (2022 at Pittsburgh)
Coaching: HC: Kellen Moore; OC: Doug Nussmeier; DC: Brandon Staley; STC: Phil Galiano
2025: 6-11, 4th in NFC South Division (23rd total offense; 9th total defense)
Moore's first season as Saints head coach will be remembered for the unveiling, and the production, of rookie QB Tyler Shough. Drafted in the second round last year, Shough replaced starter Spencer Rattler – the team's starting rookie QB the previous season – after the Saints had sunk to 1-7. Shough led the Saints to a 5-4 finish as he broke the team rookie passing record with 2,384 yards and finished with a passer rating of 91.3. The 6-foot-5 Shough was given a few more offensive weapons this offseason to help him and WR Chris Olave, while the defense – ranked ninth in the league last season – was left largely intact.
Key returnees
* DE Cameron Jordan, perhaps the greatest player in team history, was recently re-signed for his 16th and final season. Jordan will turn 37 in July. He's the organization's all-time leader in games played, tackles for loss, and sacks.
* QB Shough finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to WR Tetairoa McMillan of the Panthers.
* WR Olave caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and 9 touchdowns and was named second-team All-Pro.
Key losses
* Slot WR Rashid Shaheed, the team's only (partial) contribution to the Pro Bowl last season, was traded last November to the Seahawks for fourth and fifth-round draft picks.
* QB/TE Taysom Hill's contract was voided and he remains a free agent. The "Swiss Army Knife" was known best as the Saints' short-yardage QB.
* MLB Demario Davis signed a two-year contract with the Jets in free agency, ending Davis' eight-year tenure with the Saints. Davis, 37, started all 17 games last season and made a career-high 143 tackles.
* P Kai Kroeger, 29th in the league with a 37.3 net punting average, was traded to the Texans for a late-round draft pick swap. Undrafted rookie Ryan Wright is the sole punter on the current roster.
Offseason additions
* RB Travis Etienne signed a blockbuster four-year contract on the first day of free agency to lighten the load on 10-year veteran Alvin Kamara. Etienne rushed for 1,107 yards for the Jaguars. In four seasons in Jacksonville, Etienne rushed for 3,798 yards at 4.2 per carry. Kamara, who will turn 31 before training camp, is coming off nine-year career lows in rushing yardage (471) and yards per carry (3.6).
* G David Edwards signed a four-year contract on the first day of free agency to fill the left guard spot. Edwards, 29, has started 77 games for the Bills and Rams in his seven NFL seasons.
* TE Noah Fant signed a two-year contract on the first day of free agency to replace Hill as the complementary tight end to Juwan Johnson. An eighth-year pro, Fant spent last season with the Bengals and caught 34 passes for a career-low 288 yards.
* LB Kaden Elliss signed a three-year contract on the Saints' busy first day of free agency. It's a homecoming of sorts for Elliss, who was drafted into the league by the Saints in 2019. Elliss spent the last three seasons with the Falcons and led them in tackles the last two.
Days 1 & 2 draft picks
Round 1: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, was the No. 8 overall pick and is expected to start opposite Olave. The 6-2, 203-pounder caught 61 passes for 711 yards last season in spite of missing four games with hamstring injuries. Wrote NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein: "Learning from Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward helped unlock Tyson's production and elevated his draft stock."
Round 2: DT Christen Miller, Georgia, was taken 42nd overall and is being groomed behind veteran nose tackle Davon Godchaux.
Round 3: TE Oscar Delp, Georgia, started 34 games, caught 70 passes, and provided inline blocking during his four years with the Bulldogs.
Familiar face
Beanie Bishop Jr. signed with the Saints practice squad last Dec. 2 and a month later was signed to a reserve/futures contract. Bishop played in 17 games and had 4 interceptions for the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2024. He spent two months on the Steelers' 2025 practice squad before his Nov. 3 release.
Matching up with the Steelers
Instead of tearing apart a 6-11 team playing with a new quarterback, the Saints built to win now by adding Etienne, Tyson, and Fant to what had been a bland offense. Edwards bolsters an offensive line that allowed 49 sacks last season (eighth most). Shough was sacked 31 times in his 11 games for the league's eighth-highest sack percentage (8.66).
Defensively, the Saints were stout and didn't make many changes. They finished fourth in overall pass defense (179.2 yards per game) and sixth in fewest yards per carry (4.0). They'll come to Paris for this game off a road game against the New York Giants.
