Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
One of the biggest challenges the New Orleans Saints will face in 2025 will be adjusting to its new schemes.
On offense, the team will go from a wide zone scheme to Moore’s eclectic system, the third change for the offense in as many years. Defensively, the Saints will shift from a multi-front, though heavily deployed even front, press-man team to an odd-front unit on the zone match coverage family.
Even in special teams, new adjustments to the kickoff and onside kick rules will impact not just the kicking game, but the punting game as a ripple effect.
Each of these will require adjustments and thus learning curves and growing pains for the team. In order to best find a path to success in 2025, getting over those humps cleanly and quickly will be necessary. There is far greater expectation in the team’s 2026 outlook than theirs in 2025 because of this.
Offensive Adjustments
The good news with the offense is that Moore’s approach will be to lean in on what each player does well rather than try to fit them into preconceived molds. That should allow for a more manageable transition.
But if what members of the offensive line are most adept at achieving don’t directly align with a running back’s best element of his game, something will have to give. Playing to the strengths of all eleven players on the field may not always be possible. So, finding where those breakdowns are will take time and figuring out how to best navigate them will as well.
This won’t be an uncomfortable process for head coach Kellen Moore. But it might not be the smoothest off the bat.
Last year, the Saints underwent a major change while adopting former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s wide zone scheme. The roster was surprisingly comfortable right off the bat as the steam started with a high-flying 2-0 open to the season. But the wheels quickly came off after injuries struck the team and defenses caught on to the philosophy. This season will be all about finding and maintaining success so as to not relive the flash-in-the-pan disappointment of 2024.
Defensive Adjustments
It’s been an interesting offseason for the Saints’ defense. Upon the hiring of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, positive changes became clear. But there was a lingering question whether or not the group had the talent necessary, from a “fit” perspective, to run Staley’s very different scheme.
But as players speak about the changes, many believe themselves to be better fits in Staley’s way of defense than they perceived themselves to be in former coach Dennis Allen’s scheme. An intriguing turn of events.
But regardless of fit, execution will be the end-all-be-all in the transformation. From a base of four down lineman, three linebackers and four defensive backs to a base alignment of three down lineman, two standup edge defenders, two linebackers and four defensive backs, things are going to look a lot different in defense.
Add in the variety of nickel defenses that will most likely be deployed, and things can get even more exotic.
The shift from press-man to more zone coverage will have a major impact as well. Defensive backs will go from turning their backs to the opposing passers to instead being able to keep their eyes in the backfield. That will help defenders read the quarterback’s eyes and also allow them to react more quickly to scrambling and dual-threat signal callers.
But in order to reach the pinnacle of the success that can come from all of that, some hurdles will have to be leapt.
Adjustments to the changing pass rush plans and coverage rules will create opportunities for mental errors. Ones that will need to be overcome and ironed out over time.
Special Teams Rule Changes
The new adjustments won’t stop at offense and defense. The onside kick could be on its way back as a viable option for trailing teams looking to steal a possession. Kicking teams will still have to declare, but now can do so in any quarter as long as it is trailing and will be able to line up a yard closer on their attempts. It remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on onside kick success, but certainly gives teams a bit more preparation and potential.
Additionally, touchbacks on kickoffs that go through the endzone will go to the 35-yard line instead of the 30. This means that more teams may elect to kick more fieldable kickoffs, changing the importance of the return unit again.
It also means that if a team gets a touchback to the 35, they rent long for field goal range. That will shift the importance of a big leg at kicker as well as the need for more precision for punters. If teams are going to be pointing just outside of field goal range more often, there’s a real chance to fill the field with precise, directional punts rather than booming big legs.
All of which have an impact on fielding kicks and punts cleanly which will reflect upon the returners selected by each club.
All of these adjustments will have impacts on roster decisions, 2025 success and eventually tough decisions in 2026 as well. How the Saints manage them early on this year could impact their trajectory immediately. But with time to continue their rebuild, lasting impact will be most important.
