Saints QBs with second-best supporting cast in NFL

The New Orleans Saints skills players are definitely some of the more intriguing in the NFL. That being said, it should be no surprise that Bleacher Report named the New Orleans Saints’s quarterbacks with the second-best supporting cast in the NFL:

A 39-year-old Drew Brees was the league’s highest-rated passer in 2018, thanks at least in part to one of the NFL’s best supporting casts. Wildly, that cast might be even better in 2019.

It starts with running back Alvin Kamara, who has scored 31 touchdowns and accumulated 3,146 scrimmage yards in his first two seasons as a game-changing weapon out of the backfield. The Saints did lose veteran Mark Ingram II at that position, but replacement Latavius Murray isn’t a significantly inferior player and probably has more tread on his tires.

Meanwhile, top receiver Michael Thomas earned All-Pro honors in 2018 with a league-high 125 receptions for 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s only 26 and should get better, as should 2018 third-round pick Tre’Quan Smith. Beyond those two, it’s a numbers game. Austin Carr, Ted Ginn, Keith Kirkwood and Cameron Meredith are all solid options for Brees as late reads.

But we’re really excited about this year’s upgrade at tight end, where the Saints went from a bland platoon of Ben Watson and Josh Hill to free-agent addition Jared Cook. Cook was a Pro Bowler with 896 yards and six touchdowns last year in Oakland, and he has the ability to make a lot more plays than the dudes he’s replacing.

There isn’t a duo in this league quite like Kamara and Thomas, but the Saints are also pretty deep and should benefit from Cook’s arrival. That’s enough to be viewed as the best offense in the NFC.

Of note, Taysom Hill, technically listed as a quarterback, wasn’t also included in the “supporting cast” group. Taysom has lined up at practically every position on offensive aside from the offensive line, so I would argue excluding him from the list of offensive playmakers is an oversight.

The Saints have one of the best and most explosive running backs in the NFL in Alvin Kamara, and a solid battering ram in Latavius Murray. The Saints have a versatile, top-5 wide receiver in the NFL, arguably with the best hands in the league, in Michael Thomas. They have the prototypical deep threat in Ted Ginn Jr. and the mismatch pass-catching tight end in Jared Cook. One of the group of Cameron Meredith, Keith Kirkwood, Rishard Matthews, and Tre’Quan Smith will rise to the top of the group as a solid #2 wide receiver. There’s also x-factor Taysom Hill all behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. It’s hard to argue this supporting cast for Brees isn’t the best in the league.

In case you’re curious, the group given the #1 spot was the Cleveland Browns, who added Odell Beckham Jr. and Kareem Hunt to the offense this offseason.

Across the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers came in at 20th, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 17th, and the Atlanta Falcons are not too far behind the Saints at 5th.