Loomis Asks Saints Fans to Be Patient. Here's What That Actually Means.

Mickey Loomis used the word "young" this week, and in New Orleans that word carries weight right now. After a 6–11 finish and an offseason that peeled the roster down to the studs — two ACLs on the defensive line, Andrus Peat retiring, Ja'Lynn Polk walking away at 24, Kamara's MCL, Etienne now on injured reserve — asking for patience is the only honest thing left to say.

The reset is real. The depth chart at nearly every position features names that weren't here two years ago. Spencer Rattler is the starter, Tyler Shough is the backup playing through two broken bones in his hand, and Zamir White is the lead back after the Saints traded a linebacker to get him in August. That's not a contending roster. That's a staff trying to keep the lights on while the foundation gets rebuilt underneath them.

What Loomis is signaling, whether he'd say it plainly or not, is that the 2026 season is about development more than wins. Chris Olave is locked in on a long-term deal. The young pieces on defense — Kool-Aid McKinstry, Decamerion Richardson, the rebuilt defensive line — need reps. That's the actual argument for patience: the players who are supposed to matter in 2027 and 2028 need to play through this year first.

Whether the fan base extends that patience is a different question. This is the third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, and the December winning streak last season was the only stretch that felt like the Saints remembered who they were. Loomis has earned credibility in this building over a long career, but credibility has a shelf life too.