Jordan returns as Saints eye Brown and Delp

underrated Saints – Cameron Jordan is back for the New Orleans Saints on a one-year, incentive-based deal, while Chris Olave remains limited as Kellen Moore builds a more sustainable offense. Barion Brown and Oscar Delp are the two Saints names most likely to turn their offseason

When the New Orleans Saints move fast, it’s usually to squeeze one more year out of a veteran core. This time, the message feels different—Jordan is returning, but the roster is being positioned for what comes next.

Cameron Jordan is back in New Orleans on a one-year, incentive-based deal. For a franchise that has leaned on his defensive leadership for years, the Saints’ decision keeps one of their defining presences on the field while Kellen Moore works to push the team back toward contention.

The offense carries its own question marks as 2026 approaches. Chris Olave, whose status needs monitoring after he remained limited during offseason workouts, is still ramping up. Moore said Olave is not yet participating in team drills. placing emphasis on the Saints’ revamped offensive depth and the need for roles to be earned.

The Saints sit in a space that’s hard to label. They aren’t a completed product, but they aren’t also in full dismantling mode. After years of pushing money forward and filling gaps to try to extend an aging core’s window. New Orleans now looks more like a team with a clearer future—and a smaller margin for relying on established names to do everything.

Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis still matter. Olave, when healthy, is a centerpiece. And Jordan’s value inside the locker room is obvious. But the 2026 season can’t be built on familiar names alone. The Saints need complementing pieces—players who can become useful quickly, even if they aren’t household stars yet.

Barion Brown is one of those paths.

Drafted in the sixth round, the Saints selected Brown with the No. 190 pick out of LSU. His route to impact as a rookie is unusually clear for a player chosen that late. and it starts with what he did as a return specialist. Brown finished his college career with six kickoff return touchdowns and set an SEC record for career kickoff return yardage.

For New Orleans, a breakthrough from Brown doesn’t necessarily have to begin with 60 receptions. The immediate need is for explosive moments—short fields. hidden yards. and momentum-changing plays that can tilt a game before an offense even snaps. With a young offense led by Shough. the value of a return game that can flip the field is hard to overstate.

A realistic first step for Brown is excelling on special teams. In today’s NFL. the return game has regained significance. and players who can earn 20 or 30 yards in a single swing can hold more weekly leverage than many fans assume. Brown’s speed, vision, and acceleration give him a genuine chance to become one of the Saints’ most important non-starters.

His long-term offensive role is the more intriguing piece to watch. New Orleans has a receiver room that’s more populated than it was last year. with Olave still the standout when healthy and younger options adding another layer. Brown’s college receiving production was solid but not overwhelming—part of why he fell to the sixth round. The NFL can be a place where specialists learn to transition into broader roles, but it will depend on trust. Whether Brown can handle assignments, protect the football, and earn reliability will shape how his rookie season unfolds.

Oscar Delp offers the other type of upside: not a spark on kickoff coverage, but another young target in a tight end room that needs more than steady veterans.

Delp is the rookie tight end out of Georgia. joining a position group that has experience but still needs a younger player to raise the unit’s overall ceiling. Juwan Johnson provides New Orleans with a veteran receiving option. while Taysom Hill brings a hybrid role when he’s healthy. There are also additional players competing for snaps. and that doesn’t eliminate Delp’s opportunity—it just changes the pressure. He doesn’t have to be the only solution from the start.

What makes Delp’s fit stand out is how Kellen Moore’s offenses tend to value matchup challenges. A tight end doesn’t have to be a superstar to contribute. Delp’s job to stay on the field begins with blocking, but it doesn’t stop there. Moore’s system needs tight ends who can run precise routes to threaten linebackers and become reliable in the middle of the field.

For a young quarterback, the appeal is straightforward: wide receivers can create explosive plays, but tight ends often bring stability. They occupy soft spots in the defense. operate within the seams. support play-action scenarios. and function as a safety valve when the primary read isn’t open. Delp has the size and SEC experience to potentially fill that role for New Orleans.

Delp’s college career at Georgia didn’t make him a national star, partly because the offense didn’t always feature tight ends in the way NFL teams prefer. Still, he was taught to block well, understand structure, and handle physical football—skills that tend to land with coaches.

The depth chart is crowded at the skill positions. but tight end remains one of the places where a young player can establish a distinct role. Delp’s best path to playing time, as New Orleans builds a more complete offense, is versatility. A tight end who only catches passes has to be exceptional to earn snaps. But a tight end who can block effectively. find soft spots. and become a dependable red-zone target gives the play-caller more flexibility.

If the breakout doesn’t arrive instantly, it still could arrive as something steadier. The outline for Delp’s potential season impact is more about evolution than instant explosion: around 35 catches. a few touchdowns. better-than-expected blocking. and an expanding role as the season progresses. Even if those numbers don’t look dramatic at first glance. they can be extremely valuable for a young offense—especially one trying to move beyond the old formula of veterans carrying the roster for one more year.

This is where the Saints’ 2026 story tightens into something more specific. Jordan’s return on a one-year, incentive-based deal keeps leadership and depth anchored. Olave’s limited status—Moore saying he’s still ramping up and not yet participating in team drills—makes it clear the offense has to earn redundancy. not just assume it.

In that setting. Barion Brown and Oscar Delp stand out as the kind of under-the-radar development bets that can pay off without demanding perfection on day one. Brown’s value can start with field position and special teams. then widen if he earns trust as an offensive option. Delp’s value can begin with making Moore’s tight end group more functional—blocking. routes. and reliability—before he’s asked to be more than a complement.

Neither is a star yet. That’s the point. One can impact games through returns and special teams, while the other has room to grow into a trusted connector for a young quarterback and help Moore shape a more versatile offense.

New Orleans Saints Cameron Jordan Chris Olave Kellen Moore Barion Brown Oscar Delp Alvin Kamara Demario Davis Juwan Johnson Taysom Hill Shough 2026 NFL season