If you’ve been watching the New Orleans Saints this season, you know their offense is less than stellar.

It’s the holiday season, so I’m trying to being kind here.

The Saints offense is ranked last in the NFL in scoring and has managed to score just one touchdown in the first quarter all season.

Never have we felt farther away from the Drew Brees-Sean Payton days than we do now.

Myriad reasons exist as to why the unit is so bad, starting with the personnel. The quarterbacks are inexperienced, and the skill-position players lack explosiveness. Throw in an inconsistent interior offensive line, some shoddy execution and curious playcalling by head coach Kellen Moore, and, well, you have a recipe for an anemic offense.

But there’s another, less conspicuous issue that has also conspired to undermine the unit. It’s called leadership, and the Saints have struggled to find it on offense.

It’s not that the Saints don’t have good people on that side of the ball. There are plenty of them there. It’s just that Saints’ best offensive players have not always been their best leaders. And their best offensive leaders have not always been their best players. It tends to work best when you have both, Brees being the shining example.

Truth be told, this has been an issue for the Saints offense for a couple of years now. While the defensive has enjoyed stalwart leadership from Demario Davis, Cam Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu, and now Justin Reid, the offense has struggled to find like-minded leaders.

Chris Olave is a terrific player, but he’s quiet, more of a lead-by-example type. Ditto Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara. They’ve never been vocal, rah-rah guys. They lead with their play, production and daily presence at practice and in games. What’s more, Hill and Kamara have suffered through subpar seasons this year. Both are on the wrong side of 30 and look like their best years are behind them.

Injuries to Kamara and Erik McCoy and the recent trade of Brandin Cooks has only exacerbated the situation. Those were the Saints’ three offensive captains. Now, they’re all out. Cook was released. McCoy is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. And Kamara is sidelined by a balky knee.

That leaves a gaping void in leadership and experience. Tight end Juwan Johnson is the only offensive starter older than 27, and he just turned 29 in September. The offensive starting lineup against the Miami Dolphins Sunday is expected to have three rookies and three second-year players.

However, opportunity often exists in chaos. And the unusual circumstances could force some of the young Saints to step into the fore and grow up in a hurry.

Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and young tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga were captains in college. All three have been leaders on their respective teams at previous levels. It’s their time to step up.

“It’s all about opportunity for these guys,” Moore said. “… The voices are starting to rise, and I think that’s a good thing. Those guys are finding their space, how they can lead and their own personality and their own situation. Obviously, it’s going to be an important development thing for our roster as we continue to grow.”

The obvious choice is Shough. One of the reasons the Saints liked Shough so much as a draft prospect was his strong leadership traits. Behind the scenes, he’s quietly taken on more of a voice with teammates and coaches. With Kamara, McCoy and Cooks out of the picture, he should become even more comfortable in the role. It’s time for him to take command. He might not feel like he’s ready, but the offense needs him to take charge.

“You have to (lead) in your own way,” Shough said. “That’s something I really believe in, just being yourself. I’m hoping to do everything I can to kind of voice all those things (as a leader). I’ve just been trying to take advantage of every opportunity and communicate the best I can.”

Improving the leadership on offense should be a top priority for the Saints this offseason. Ideally, they’ll find a veteran player or two in free agency to fill the void the way Davis and Reid have done on defense. It should also be top of mind in the draft.

Shough, Banks and Fuaga are a nice core to build an offense around, but it can’t stop with them.