By Ross Jackson
Most teams across the NFL will run a stripped-down version of their offensive and defensive schemes throughout the preseason. Often called a “vanilla” offense or defense, the scheme still plays to the foundation of what the team’s identity hopes to be in the regular season. That is exactly what was seen from the New Orleans Saints throughout their three exhibition games, and the numbers prove it.
Oftentimes the thought of a vanilla offense makes viewers think of an overall universal and simple approach to the game that any team can run. That is not the case. A simplified approach is still the team’s system, but a dialed back version of what they want to run. The Saints’ dialed back offense will still look very different from a Cincinnati Bengals or Miami Dolphins simplified approach.
The Saints’ 2024 preseason offense also had some key differences from their 2023 offensive scheme. Here are some of the notable changes from our charting of the team’s play calling, use of motion and play action and more.
Before diving in, it is important to remember that this piece is going to compare a preseason offense with a regular season offense. The preseason approach may end up being vastly different when Week 1 rolls around. The differences explored here are being highlighted as a means of providing an in-depth look at what could be on the way for New Orleans. But the team’s offense may not always incorporate each and every one of these elements with the same frequency of intent in the regular season.
Think of this as a look at “what could be” more than a depiction of “here is what to expect.”
Motion
One of the most highly anticipated shifts for the Saints’ offense has been the incorporation of more motion before and at the snap. Even though the preseason offense was simplified, it became clear very quickly that motion would be a part of the team’s DNA.
Through all of 2023, the Saints’ offense deployed motion on about 34 percent of snaps that did not include a penalty. More than the previous year, but still not enough to put them into the upper echelon of the more explosive offenses, which rely on motion, across the league.
In the preseason, that percentage jumped from 34 percent to 42 percent. Per Seth Walder’s motion report at the end of the 2023 season, a 42 percent motion usage would have only bumped the Saints up a couple of spots when compared to the rest of the NFL. But this was the preseason indicator that a lot more should be on the way for the regular season.
Play Action
New Orleans has also looked to make good on its goals of implementing more play action on offense as well. In 2023, starting quarterback Derek Carr had 87 play action dropbacks per Pro Football Focus (PFF). That accounted for just 14.8 percent of his dropbacks. With the team’s toned down preseason offense, Carr and young quarterbacks Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler combined for 19 of 106 dropbacks, good for 17.9 percent.
Not a huge jump, but one must assume that the regular season will bring upon an even larger boost.
Passing Depth and Location
The Saints also saw some changes in their points of attack in the passing game. With the percentage of targets between 10-19 yards shooting up from 18 percent to 27 percent and targets behind the line of scrimmage dropping from 21 percent to 14 percent. The team’s passing attack was a lot more active in the middle of the field as well. In 2023, targets to the middle of the field totaled just 18 percent of attempted passes, per NFELO. During this preseason, Carr, Haener and Rattler went to the middle just over 30 percent of the time. These are major developments that are easy to both track and project going into the season’s kickoff.
Offensive Balance
Another element that stands out is a more balanced offense. Last year’s offense, in terms of play call or intended play with penalties removed, ran the ball about 39 percent of the time and dropped back to pass just below 60 percent. The remaining snaps were kneels.
Through the preseason, the rushing percentage jumped to 43 percent while the passing fell to 56 percent while the rest were kneels and spikes. It is not a drastic change, sure. But the intent of having a heavier rushing attack undoubtedly shined through during the three exhibition games. Facing fewer game situations impacted these percentages without a doubt.
One of the complicating factors New Orleans faced last year was the amount of third and longs they faced. That did not seem to consistently improve over the preseason. But perhaps more reps and more rhythm for the new offensive system and its starters will yield better results as the season begins. This will be a key element of the offense to watch out for this year.
While these numbers do not necessarily promise or guarantee an improved offensive attack in 2024, it does give a good indication of things being at least different. It is clear that once the season begins, the Saints will be deploying a much more active and updated offensive approach. That should be an improvement in and of itself.
