The New Orleans Saints have brought five new faces to their roster during the start of free agency, with running back Travis Etienne being the most prominent one. However, head coach Kellen Moore said all players have one thing in common.
While Kellen Moore didn’t speak on Alvin Kamara’s future, the message for the new faces coming in is clear now. According to Moore,“I think if there’s a theme, a bunch of high-character guys, guys that we love in this locker room, that are going to be great teammates, great people in this community, and obviously we certainly recognize the ability for them to perform on the field. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
And the Saints really need those kinds of guys. After a dreadful start to the 2025 NFL season, they started to show character and glimpses of a good future down the stretch. Hence, bringing more productive, high-character guys could boost this team to new heights.
Etienne is coming off a career-resurgence year
After having two 1,000-yard seasons, Etienne‘s third year in the NFL was very worrisome. He basically cut his production in half and had only two touchdowns. It was not a great look. However, with the arrival of Liam Coen as the Jaguars head coach, Etienne was once again a deadly threat.
He resurfaced as a top-tier back with 1,399 scrimmage yards and a career-high 13 total touchdowns. Now, the Saints get a young, dual-threat back to keep the production going. After Alvin Kamara, having Etienne means the playbook basically remains the same.
Etienne might be the best thing to happen to Tyler Shough
Tyler Shough overcame expectations last year. No one had really much to hope for with Shough. However, he started nine games and had a 5-4 record, completing 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Still, Shough needs help. He doesn’t have the best arm and he wants to take care of the ball. Hence, having a weapon that can catch passes from the backfield is just a gift from heaven. Also, Kellen Moore is a highly effective playcaller, so he can easily draw some productive plays for the two.