A 2-8 record for any NFL team makes it abundantly clear that the franchise is not in a good place, and that certainly is the case with the New Orleans Saints. Following many years of competition, the loss of Drew Brees to retirement and Sean Payton to another franchise has crippled them for the time being, and despite some highly promising young talent, it is going to be a decent amount of time before they return to being a high-level franchise.

Despite a brutal season, there are some bright spots to check in on and recognize for their contributions, as well as some players who just have not lived up to the billing. Here are three of the most notable from each category.

Stud: LB Demario Davis

At 36, nearly 37 years old, on a 2-8 roster, Demario Davis is still showcasing why he is one of the best linebackers in the NFL, as his production is seemingly never-ending. Through 10 games, he has 91 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and 5 tackles for loss.

While his coverage capabilities have somewhat slowed down, and his missed tackle rate is up, he is still a core element of a defense that has been pretty strong in a few games this year. Truly one of the most special talents in Saints history, and someone who should continue to be revered for his high-level play despite the record.

Dud: RG Cesar Ruiz

Frankly, most of the interior offensive line play has been less than impressive, but Cesar Ruiz just has not looked good in almost every game this year. The stats say he has been average with two sacks allowed, two penalties, 12 pressures allowed, and 534 snaps played.

However, on film, he has just been mauled on the interior, as can be seen by him often being backwards or facing the wrong direction because defensive ends and tackles have just been able to get him out of position rather often. It may be time to find new options at the right guard spot in 2026.

Stud: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

After a rather slow start to the season, Kool-Aid McKinstry has just been absolutely killer in the latter half of the first 10 games. 46 tackles, 7 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 2 tackles for loss, 35/54 allowed completions (64.8%), and 6 touchdowns allowed showcase this early bit of inconsistent play before really taking off.

His missed tackle rate has dropped over eight percent from his rookie year, and his coverage is still quite good in a much bigger sample size. Moving into being CB1 is difficult in the NFL, but McKinstry is starting to find his footing by doing so.

Dud: DT Bryan Bresee

Bryan Bresee has predominantly been a second-half player throughout his NFL career, so it will be interesting to see if that is the case in 2025. He has been making more plays individually in space, but his pass rush has just completely fallen off a cliff.

With only 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 9 pressures, and 4 quarterback knockdowns, he has fallen quite a ways from 7.5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss, 19 pressures, and 7 quarterback knockdowns in 2024. While his run defense has improved slightly, losing his pass rush capabilities has been a killer for the Saints.

Studs: Both Offensive Tackles

A bit of a merger here, but both offensive tackles for the Saints have been very promising this year, and despite a few missed games from Taliese Fuaga, he has kept up his end of the bargain in being an outstanding player. When both are on the field, it is basically impossible to get edge pressure against the Saints; most of it comes from the interior instead.

Fuaga, in 473 snaps, has allowed 3 sacks and 22 pressures with 2 penalties, while Kelvin Banks Jr., in 641 snaps, has allowed 3 sacks, 31 pressures, and has six penalties. While both are still learning their positions in this offensive line, it is clear that they have what it takes to be a long-term duo for New Orleans to build around.

Duds: Special Teams

Despite an improved field goal percentage, Blake Grupe has been pretty much benched when it comes to his kicking capabilities. For the last three weeks, he has not been given an attempt from 50 or more yards out, after missing a long shot four weeks ago. Even worse, he has only had one field goal attempt from 40+ in that four-week span, which he made, but it is clear the team is focusing on other means of trying to generate offense when near the border of his field goal distance.

Kai Kroeger has also been hit or miss all year long, with 44.7 yards per punt and 36.3 net yards per punt, neither of which is particularly impressive. The punter position has been one where the Saints have just struggled to find a long-term, reliable option since Thomas Morstead, and while Kroeger deserves the benefit of the doubt due to being a rookie, it has been a slow start. Granted, he has time to recover, given this is only 10 games into his career.