North Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — Week 1 of the NFL season has arrived. The Carolina Panthers will travel to New Orleans this weekend to face the New Orleans Saints, whose defense is projected by many in the Crescent City to be among the best in the league.

As preparations begin, here are key points about the Saints:

The Saints' defense was already considered a strength, finishing last season with a Top 10 passing defense (allowing an average of 207.3 passing yards per game) and the eighth-best scoring defense (19.2 points per game). This offseason, they added linebacker Willie Gay and defensive end Chase Young. Gay, coming off back-to-back Super Bowl wins with the Kansas City Chiefs, appeared in 29 games over two seasons, accumulating 146 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 12 passes defended, two interceptions, and four recovered fumbles.

Young joined New Orleans after a bounce-back season in 2023 with the San Francisco 49ers. He finished with 25 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and two passes defended in 16 games. He now joins Cam Jordan up front to challenge an offensive line that the Panthers have heavily invested in this offseason.

The Saints also rebuilt their offensive line this offseason. The starting lineup includes left tackle Taliese Fuaga, left guard Lucas Patrick, center Erik McCoy, right guard Cesar Ruiz, and right tackle Trevor Penning. Fuaga was a first-round draft pick from Oregon State who played on the right side but was moved to the left as Penning switched to right tackle.

Saints coach Dennis Allen stated during training camp that no one had done enough to take Penning's job at right tackle for now.

With a newer offensive line configuration, expect more short passes and designs to move quarterback Derek Carr out of the pocket. Carr's second season with the Saints follows a year where he completed 68.4% of his passes for 3,878 yards and 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

Last season saw strong performances from wide receiver Chris Olave and dual-threat running back Alvin Kamara. The Panthers' defense ranked third in passing defense last year and held Carr to his second-worst total yardage (110 passing yards) and third-worst quarterback rating (88.5) in their last encounter.

The Saints have introduced Klint Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator after he served as passing game coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers last season. Kubiak aims to revamp the offense to maximize contributions from players like Olave and Taysom Hill.

Kubiak mentioned during training camp that he wanted to increase Hill's involvement in the offense significantly. Hill confirmed this shift by noting he was being asked to do things he'd never been asked before in his seven years with the team.

If Hill's role expands as anticipated, it might necessitate assigning a spy on him during games.

---