The New Orleans Saints aren’t where they want to be in the standings, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t get their search right when picking a new head coach this past offseason.
After a 5-12 season, the Saints were looking around for a new head coach and selected Kellen Moore after he worked as the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles. Right now, the Saints are 2-8, but young playmaker Chris Olave had nothing but praise for the work he has done so far this season while speaking to Kay Adams on “Up & Adams.”
“He’s just a great leader,” Olave said to Adams. “He does everything right. I feel like he is so detailed with his work. He knows how to win football games. I mean, not this year. Not this year, but he came from a Super Bowl to a tough situation in just a year. Just the way he carries himself.
“Even being 2-8, I know it’s tough. I know he’s so frustrated. I know it’s taking a lot on him. Just the way he leads. Team meetings, he leads the team with such great energy and just moving on so quick and try to move on and get some wins. I feel like he does a great job at that and I’m excited moving forward.”
Moore is known around the league as one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. Although things haven’t been clicking for New Orleans yet, it showed promise against the Carolina Panthers last week and now has a week off to prepare for its next matchup next week against the Atlanta Falcons.
If Tyler Shough can play like he did against the Panthers the rest of the way, then Moore is going to look even better by the time the season ends. At the end of the day, if the head coach is right, the quarterback is right, and there are pieces around like Olave, this team should be able to turn things around as soon as 2026.
Shortly after the trade deadline, Olave addressed the state of his extension talks with the Saints.
“It’s in the works…I want to be in New Orleans forever,” Olave said on a recent episode of the Up and Adams Show.
This kind of eagerness to stay in New Orleans is exactly what Saints fans need to hear right now. Olave is the best player on their roster, and it would be a huge deal to keep him on the team for the next four or five years.
Olave could sign for over $100 million, similar to the deal that his college teammate, Garrett Wilson, recently signed with the New York Jets.
Either way, keeping Olave on the team for the next few years would be huge for the franchise. It would also be huge for rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who’s still learning and growing as a young signal caller.
The Philadelphia Eagles utilized the trade deadline well and it had an instant impact on the team in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers.
Jaelan Phillips was a one-man wrecking machine against the Packers finishing the game with six tackles, two quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery. Those stats don’t truly capture how impressive Phillips was in just his first game with the Eagles. he may not have had a sack, but he was all over Jordan Love and his presence was felt throughout the game.
Philadelphia has done well on the trade block, but the time for deals is done. The Eagles are 7-2 and have eight games left. The roster they have is what they will be rolling with moving forward. There’s no reason to think ahead with so much right in front of the Eagles, but Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon attempted to do so. They put together a list of each team’s “most valuable offseason trade chip” and had a surprising one for Philadelphia: running back Tank Bigsby.
“Philadelphia Eagles: RB Tank Bigsby,” Gagnon said. “A preseason addition via trade from the Jaguars, Bigsby scored eight touchdowns in 2024 and went over 100 yards in place of an injured Saquon Barkley in Week 8. He’s still just 24 and remains under team control for 2026, but there might not be enough room for him with 2024 fourth-round pick Will Shipley also in the mix. “
This take is pretty surprising. First and foremost, it’s too early to be thinking about offseason trades. He also wasn’t a preseason addition. The Eagles acquired him ahead of Week 2. He played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 and had 12 yards.
Bigsby looks like the Eagles’ RB No. 2 right now. AJ Dillon was signed but has been inactive recently. Will Shipley is on the team, but has 45 total rushing yards on 11 carries this season.
Bigsby is under contract next season with a cap hit just over $1.4 million. If you look at the Eagles’ roster and have to think about a “valuable” trade candidate, it would obviously be the guy who has had his name thrown around in trade rumors for months in AJ Brown. That doesn’t mean the Eagles will move Brown, but if the exercise is “most valuable” trade chip, Brown would fit the bill over Bigsby.
Regardless, this is an exercise that is too soon.