The 2010s: New Orleans Saints all-decade team has a few no-brainers and some head-scratchers (2024)

This decade of Saints football is easily the best in franchise history, even if you don’t count the Super Bowl XLIV win since it’s technically part of the 2009 season despite the game actually being played in 2010 with five playoff appearances (a sixth likely coming this season), three NFC South titles and one infamous trip to the NFC Championship Game.

Then there’s the run of four seasons with a 7-9 record in the span of five years. Sprinkle in a season with a bounty scandal and a season without Sean Payton, and New Orleans, pun intended, has had a road filled with potholes.

That’s what makes the exercise of selecting a Saints all-decade team spanning from 2010-2019 so fascinating. There are plenty of no-brainers; some positions up for debate because of the glut of talent and some up for debate because, well, there wasn’t actually a completely worthy candidate.

Across the board here at The Athletic we’re putting together a retrospect in each market throughout the past decade. So here’s my best crack at compiling the Saints’ all-decade team. Debate I’m sure will commence. We welcome it in the comments below.

Offense

QB: Drew Brees — Well, I could have considered Chase Daniel, Teddy Bridgewater, Luke McCown, Taysom Hill, Travaris Cadet, Willie Snead and Alvin Kamara, who all have attempted passes for the Saints during the past 10 seasons. I guess I’ll stick with Brees.

RB: Mark Ingram — The team’s second 2011 first-round pick went from borderline bust to one of the best backs in Saints history and most beloved figures inside the locker room during his eight years in New Orleans. Ingram left the Saints for Baltimore after the 2018 season as the franchise’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 50 and second-leading rusher, only 90 yards from passing Deuce McAllister.

RB: Pierre Thomas — As an ultimate underdog, the undrafted rookie in 2007 became one of the team’s top running backs with a combination of grit in the ground game and elusiveness in the screen-passing game. Arguably his most productive seasons occurred before the turn of the decade. Still, he served as a key element in both phases of the offense in 2011 and 2013 before his run in New Orleans ended after 2014.

WR: Marques Colston — The team’s all-time leading receiver tallied as many 1,000-yard seasons in the previous decade than in this decade (three each). He also amassed more than 900 yards each in 2013 and 2014. The consistency and longevity of the 2006 seventh-round pick might be matched by only one more receiver in a Saints uniform in the history of this franchise …

WR: Michael Thomas — It’s only a matter of time, probably a rather short time at this rate, before Thomas takes over all the Saints’ receiving records from Colston, regardless of how long Brees continues to play. The 2016 second-rounder has proven that even with everyone in the building knowing Bridgewater would target Thomas, he still can’t be guarded.

Flex: Alvin Kamara — You really thought I would leave one of the league’s most potent current weapons off this list? No chance. I purposely used the AP’s All-Pro team format to allow for a flex spot, which helped me squeeze Thomas and Kamara on this list. Kamara ranks second among running backs since 2017 with 33 touchdowns from scrimmage, behind only Todd Gurley during the same span. Kamara is on his way to becoming the best overall back in team history.

TE: Jimmy Graham — The 2010 third-round pick arrived in New Orleans known as a former Miami basketball player and finished his career as the most effective tight end in team history. He quickly emerged as Brees’ primary pass-catching target, earning three Pro Bowl bids and one first-team All-Pro nod. Graham stood toe-to-toe with Rob Gronkowski as one of the best tight ends in the league. Then the Saints shipped Graham to the Seahawks in a blockbuster trade involving someone else on this list.

OL: Terron Armstead — He blew away the NFL Combine with his speed and agility, leading to him becoming a 2013 third-round pick. Armstead started at left tackle in a pinch toward the end of the 2013 season and has been the starter ever since. Various injuries riddled Armstead’s career, but he’s easily one of the best tackles in the league when healthy. He earned his first Pro Bowl bid in 2018. He’s been great, and healthy, this season.

OL: Jahri Evans — Outside of Brees, Evans carries the best case to be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame (depending on the evolution of Thomas’ and Kamara’s careers, of course). The 2006 fourth-round selection immediately jumped into the starting lineup at right guard. Evans picked up four first-team All-Pro spots, one second-team All-Pro distinction and six Pro Bowl trips. He’ll forever be known as one of the best draft finds in Saints history.

OL: Carl Nicks — This is a tricky call. Nicks played only two seasons at left guard within this decade. The 2008 fifth-round pick grabbed Pro Bowl spots in both seasons as well as a first-team All-Pro nod in 2011 and a second-team All-Pro honor in 2010. Nicks joined Evans as the first guard duo on the same team to be named first-team All-Pros. But Nicks signed the richest contract for a guard, at the time, in league history with the Bucs. His play earned him a spot in the Saints Hall of Fame, though, so he deserves this distinction as well.

OL: Zach Strief — Ryan Ramczyk made the right tackle selection even more difficult. Strief, the 2006 seventh-round pick, earned his starting role in 2011 and improved as his career moved along. By the end of his run in 2017, Strief turned into one of the best right tackles in the league. Strief also served as one of the most trusted leaders and presences in the locker room during Sean Payton’s tenure.

OL: Max Unger — The revolving door at center closed once the Saints traded for Unger from Seattle in the Graham blockbuster. Unger quickly stabilized the middle of the offensive line from the start through the 2018 season. Unger announced his retirement in March 2019 after landing his first Pro Bowl selection with New Orleans last season. Unger set the standard for rookie Erik McCoy to follow.

Defense

DL: Cam Jordan — Jordan’s selection is the no-brainer of the defense, like Brees on offense. The 2011 first-round selection landed in the starting lineup and has never missed a game in his career. Four Pro Bowl trips and one first-team All-Pro accolade later, Jordan stands as one of the best overall defensive ends in the NFL. He’s already picked up seven sacks in 2019 and is well on his way to his fifth double-digit sack season. Jordan (78 1/2 sacks) passed Pat Swilling for third on the team’s all-time sack list and has Wayne Martin (82 1/2 sacks) in his path by for second by the end of the year.

DL: Sheldon Rankins — Defensive tackle, in general, never seems to be a stable position for the Saints. The 2016 first-round selection brought the Saints a potent threat on the interior defensive line. Rankins put together this best season in 2018 with eight sacks before rupturing his Achilles tendon. He returned for Week 4 this year and has aided New Orleans’ stout defensive front.

DL: Will Smith — I wrestled over this one. Smith or Junior Galette? Galette’s 22 sacks in 2013 and 2014 could be mystifying. Smith played solid, not spectacular from 2010-2012 (18 sacks). I’m leaning on Pro Football Reference’s “Approximate Value” to sort through the two players. The values point to Smith. That, and Smith is one of the best defenders in team history, and Galette’s presence poisoned the locker room.

DL: Tyeler Davison — Remember, the Saints defense hasn’t been very good for much of this decade. I considered Akiem Hicks and even Malcom Brown. Both possess more talent than Davison. But Davison missed only three games in his four-year run in New Orleans. The 2015 fifth-rounder never turned into a game-breaker in the middle, yet he was more stable than many along the front four.

LB: Demario Davis — Davis is only a year and a half into his Saints career and he’s already on my all-decade team. Shows how great he’s been in New Orleans, and also spotlights the lack of consistent linebacker play the past 10 years. After spending most of his career with the Jets, Davis is loving life with the Saints as a prolific playmaker as an every-down linebacker. I’ll stand firmly behind my argument that Davis was the league’s best free-agent pickup for the 2018 season. He’s still been excellent.

LB: Jonathan Vilma — Maybe there’s a touch of nostalgia with this pick. Vilma made the Pro Bowl in 2010 and guided the defense in 2011, one of the best seasons in team history. The combination of his aching body and the 2012 bounty scandal took a toll on him. Again, good linebackers have been hard to come by in this decade. I’ll let 2009 bleed over a bit in my thinking with Vilma. An all-time Saints great without question.

LB: Curtis Lofton — Lofton arrived in New Orleans in 2012 in the midst of the bounty scandal and an uncertain future for Vilma. He started every game at middle linebacker during his three-year stint with the Saints, tallying 405 total tackles. Uh, that’s a lot of tackles. I’m guessing no one in New Orleans holds it against Lofton for being a 2008 second-round draft pick by the Falcons before landing with the Saints.

DB: Jabari Greer — Rightfully so, Tracy Porter will hold an eternal affection by the Who Dats for his game-changing interceptions off Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in the 2009 postseason. Yet Greer played at a far more consistent level during his five years in New Orleans. Greer transformed into the closest thing to a shutdown cornerback the Saints had until the arrival of Marshon Lattimore. A brutal leg injury ended his career in the latter half of the 2013 season. Still, Greer played an important role from 2009-2013.

DB: Roman Harper — I tried not to use recent history as my barometer to gauge my strong safety pick. In today’s NFL, Vonn Bell would easily be the pick here as he’s been improving big time the past three seasons. You also had 2013 first-rounder Kenny Vaccaro as a starter for the better part of five years. Harper did make a Pro Bowl in 2010, though. The 2006 second-round pick led the team (seriously) in 2011 with 7 1/2 sacks. Harper piled up 115 total tackles in 2012 and played five seasons for the Saints this decade. This pick is certainly debatable. I want to say Bell, and might by the end of this season.

DB: Malcolm Jenkins — This seems a little bizarre, right? Jenkins probably didn’t live up to all the expectations set for him being the 2009 first-round pick. He played great at times. He struggled at times. Free-agency hype then hoodwinked the Saints into Jairus Byrd. Payton still admits letting Jenkins walk for multiple Pro Bowls in Philadelphia was an awful personnel decision. And now Marcus Williams is a three-year starter. As strange as this feels, I’m taking Jenkins.

DB: Marshon Lattimore — Thankfully an easy call. Lattimore leaped onto the scene as the 2017 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after being the team’s first 2017 first-rounder. He fell on some hard times playing against the league’s top wideouts in 2018 but has rebounded in a big way leading up to the 2019 midpoint. He’s truly a shutdown corner in the NFL and the best corner in the Payton era.

Special teams

Punter: Thomas Morstead — Since Morstead has taken every punt this decade outside the 10 punts struck by Brandon Fields in 2015, I guess I’ll put Morstead here. Well, that and Morstead has only been one of the league’s best punters in the past 10 years. He might deserve this spot as well. He’s a gamechanger with his huge leg and pinpoint placement. Payton loves how the Saints traded up to draft Morstead in the fifth round in 2009.

Kicker: Wil Lutz — Before Lutz arrived in 2016, this slot might have been left blank since there have been more kickers this decade with the Saints than years. Payton’s gamble at the end of that preseason has paid off many, many times. Lutz should make a Pro Bowl in the near future, being one of the league’s most accurate kickers really since late 2016.

(Top photo of Colston: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Larry Holder is a Senior Writer for The Athletic, focusing on the NFL. He was a Saints beat writer from 2006 to 2013, then became a Saints/NFL columnist starting in 2013. Before joining The Athletic in 2018, he worked for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, CBSSports.com and the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald. Follow Larry on Twitter @LarryHolder