NEW ORLEANS – A lot of conversation has been had about the New Orleans Saints’ aging roster. Questions abound like what the team will do if star defenders like pass rusher Cameron Jordan, linebacker Demario Davis and safety Tyrann Mathieu see their production fall in 2024 and how the team will combat that. All worthwhile questions indeed, even these plays have been hyper-aware of the time that has passed against the time they have left.
But the Saints have begun to change the narrative with their new 53-man roster. At the end of last year, the Saints were the oldest team in the league based on who took the field for them. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell shared his snap-adjusted team age list in January with the Saints clocking in at 28.2 years old
This year, the Saints have 10 rookies that all made their initial 53-man roster. That includes six drafted rookies and four undrafted. The team also only has 10 players in 2024 that exceed the 28 year old average from last year.
Per Bookies.com’s recent release, the Saints now have an average age across their roster of around 26.75 years. That is good for No. 16 oldest roster in the NFL, right down the middle.
The difference between this ranking and Barnwell’s will come down to ages of the players that take the most snaps by season’s end. With players like Jordan, Davis and Mathieu on defense as well as quarterback Derek Carr (33) and newly-listed tight end Taysom Hill (34) set to see a lot of snaps, the team could end up scratching that oldest roster status again. But the fact remains that the overall roster is younger and therefore much more primed for the future than in previous years.
