New Orleans Saints DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The New Orleans Saints signed rookie first-round offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. to a four-year, $27.7 million deal on Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Saints passed on a quarterback in the first round and instead took Banks with the ninth overall pick out of Texas. The 21-year-old should help stabilize the Saints' starting right tackle spot in the long term after Ryan Ramczyk retired. He has the size (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) and athleticism to be a Pro Bowl tackle in the long run, but it remains to be seen if he'll earn a starting gig at right tackle out of the gates in his first NFL season in 2025. It will all depend on how Trevor Penning, who has disappointed so far in his career, looks during training camp and the preseason.

The New Orleans Saints are hosting free-agent wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones for a tryout during minicamp, according to NOF's John Hendrix. Peoples-Jones totaled just 155 yards through 15 games in 2023, and he spent all of last season on the Detroit Lions' practice squad. However, we've seen glimpses of upside from the Michigan product before. He delivered a career year with the Cleveland Browns in 2022, catching 61 of 96 targets for 839 yards and three touchdowns. He has previously served as a big-play threat, making him an intriguing candidate to replace Marquez Valdes-Scantling in New Orleans. Valdes-Scantling, who landed with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, caught numerous deep passes from Derek Carr last season, allowing the Saints to strike quickly with big chunk plays. Peoples-Jones can provide a similar spark, but even if he makes the team, he'll merely fill a depth role behind Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell reports that the New Orleans Saints are picking up wide receiver Chris Olave's fifth-year option on Wednesday. Despite playing in a career-low eight games in 2024 in his third year in the NFL due to multiple concussions, the Saints picking up the former first-rounder's fifth-year option was a no-brainer. The 24-year-old Ohio State alumni is scheduled to make $16.8 million guaranteed on his fifth-year option in 2026. Olave cleared 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first two NFL seasons on 159 total receptions and nine touchdowns, so he has proven he has the chops to operate as a WR1 for fantasy managers when he's healthy. However, his head injuries from last year could scare many fantasy managers off this fall, as well as New Orleans' quarterback situation with Derek Carr possibly needing shoulder surgery.

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks has inked a two-year, $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints, per Mike Garafolo. The 31-year-old returns to the team that drafted him. Cooks was plagued by a knee injury in 2024 -- an MCL sprain that evolved into an infection -- forcing him from seven games. Still, he was the team's clear No. 2 wideout ahead of Jalen Tolbert when healthy. Despite the time missed, he scored the third-most receiving touchdowns (three) of any Cowboys pass-catcher. Whether or not Cooks will make an impact in fantasy is unclear. However, he provides a valuable second option on the field alongside teammate Chris Olave, with Rashid Shaheed's (knee) status undetermined after a mid-season meniscus injury.

The New Orleans Saints reworked wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr.'s contract on Wednesday, cutting his 2025 base salary from $3.4 million to the minimum of $1.7 million, according to ESPN's Katherine Terrell. Wilson's new salary cap number is $1.67 million after he previously counted $3.4 million against this year's cap, but it still voids in 2026. If the 29-year-old wasn't willing to restructure his deal, Terrell got the sense the Saints were willing to move on after Wilson had only 20 catches on 27 targets for 211 yards and one touchdown in 15 games (four starts) in 2024 in his first year in New Orleans. The poor production even came with Chris Olave (head) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) missing time with injuries last year. The Saints will have a new offensive approach under head coach Kellen Moore, but Wilson is still unlikely to be fantasy relevant as receiver depth in the Big Easy in 2025.