New Orleans Saints Ranked 19th Best Future According to PFF

Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 NFL teams’ future outlook (over just the next three seasons) based on each team’s current situation. PFF looked at each team’s current roster, franchise QB, coaching staff, front office, and drafts, ranking each on a scale from 0-100. On scoring:

After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the five categories was weighted to create the overall score -- roster (30 percent), quarterback (20 percent), draft (15 percent), front office (15 percent) and coaching (20 percent). The result is a comprehensive rankings based on how well each team is positioned for the future.

Coming in tied for 19th (with the Detroit Lions) were your New Orleans Saints.

The black lines on each chart represent the NFL average, with the red bar representing the Saints score. With no surprise, the Saints are carried by high score from QB Drew Brees.

High point: The ranking of quarterback as the Saints' greatest asset is cemented by confidence in two factors. The first is that Drew Brees will eventually sign an extension, as he's entering the final year of his contract in 2016. The second, of course, assumes Brees will remain one of the game's best players. Considering that he has led the NFL in passing yards in four of the past five seasons, I'm not betting against Brees regressing in a major way before he turns 40 (he's currently 37). -- Field Yates

Low point: The Saints' offense has ranked top six in all 10 years of the Payton-Brees era, and that should remain the same over the next three years given the retooling on that side of the ball. The problem is defensively, where I can count on one hand the number of players who are potential game-changers. And the lack of quality developmental depth in the pipeline indicates that the future could be just as bleak as the previous two seasons for the Saints' defense. -- Louis Riddick

What could change: Owner Tom Benson turns 89 this month and has been in poor health while fighting to prevent his daughter and grandchildren from taking over the team upon his death. How will the Saints operate once Benson passes? The organization did embrace stability by signing coach Sean Payton to a contract extension through 2020, but the Saints' prospects over the next few seasons could hinge on whether Brees, once an outspoken union leader, makes contract concessions. -- Mike Sando

Of note, the Saints are lowest in the NFC South, with the Atlanta Falcons coming in right above the Saints at 18th, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one better at 17th, and the Carolina Panthers 3rd overall (behind only the Patriots and Seahawks).

What are your thoughts?