NEW ORLEANS -- The Saints have gone through significant changes since they last practiced as a team in January.
-- The lockers of longtime Saints players Cameron Jordan and Taysom Hill sit empty.
-- Longtime team captain Demario Davis is gone.
-- Running back Travis Etienne Jr., who signed in March, will show up as a potential successor to Alvin Kamara.
-- Veteran receivers such as Rashid Shaheed have been replaced with young draft picks such as Jordyn Tyson.
The team's changes represent a stark contrast to the start of OTAs in 2025. When the Saints began practice last spring, they were in their first year under coach Kellen Moore, quarterback Derek Carr had just retired and safety Tyrann Mathieu was a few months away from an unexpected retirement.
While questions remain, the Saints feel more settled now as they ride the momentum of the final quarter of the 2025 season. New Orleans won four of its final five games to end the season under rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
As Shough and the Saints kick off OTAs on Thursday, here are some of the questions they'll be looking to answer this offseason.
What will the Saints do with Kamara?
Will the veteran running back play for the Saints in 2026? He seemed to think so when he appeared on former teammate Terron Armstead's podcast in early May, using "we" to describe the Saints and saying he welcomed the signing of Etienne. Kamara said Etienne looked "explosive" in Jacksonville and said the two of them could be a similar duo to himself and former Saints running back Mark Ingram.
"Strong dude. Seems smart. I'm excited to see what we could do together," Kamara said. "I think a lot of people be thinking it's like beef or something, when moves like this happen and it's like, man, 'Shoot, I couldn't be happier.' One, my boy got paid. And two, 'Man, it ain't nothing but some help in the backfield.' Man, that's the name of the game. Shoot, you adapt. One person can't do it by themselves."
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said on May 18 that part of the issue regarding Kamara's status was tied to his contract and the salary cap. Loomis has not said publicly if Kamara was approached about taking a pay cut.
"We're just trying to see how he's going to fit in our roster and obviously there's a resource management element to it, and we'll get to that over the next week or two," Loomis said, adding that while OTAs formed a deadline of sorts, it was not a hard deadline.
The Saints reworked Kamara's contract in March for salary cap purposes but didn't work out a pay cut, and he is due $11.5 million in cash this year ($3 million of his contract is guaranteed). He is in the final season of the two-year extension he signed in the middle of the 2024 season.
Kamara typically does not show up to the offseason program until mandatory minicamp, meaning the wait for clarity could continue into June.
Turning 31 on July 25, Kamara is coming off a season in which he had career lows in games played (11), rushing attempts (131), rushing yards (471), rushing touchdowns (1), receptions (33), receiving yards (186) and receiving touchdowns (0).
Kamara said he believes the Saints are trying to replicate what he and Ingram had, noting they set the bar "very high."
"I mean, that's what efficiency looks like on a very high level. I'm 100% for it. If that's what direction we going in, I'm with it. I think we can get there," Kamara said.
What will Shough look like going into Year 2?
Last season was a trial period for Shough, a 2025 second-round pick (No. 40), who eventually started nine games after Spencer Rattler was benched.
Kamara told Armstead that he and Shough had a conversation toward the end of the 2025 season about expectations. Now the work gets harder, he told Shough.
"We used to sit in the team meeting room and [coach] Sean [Payton] used to be like, 'Man, don't drink the Kool-Aid. Don't drink the Kool-Aid.' Just work. Go 10 times harder. Work. Because ... now it's for real. I mean Week 1 starter, you got to put together a whole season. Again, it's a lot of expectations," Kamara said.
Shough wasted no time last year setting up workouts with his teammates and has said he plans to do the same this summer. He has also sat down with coaches and evaluated his film from last season.
"[We] kind of tweak what we may call certain things, and then also kind of tear, tailor it to, how we're trying to attack defenses this year, and that was really cool to see throughout this install process in OTAs, and Phase 2," Shough said before this week's OTAs. "There was a self-evaluation from, my part and what I can work on, footwork wise, and setting the pocket, and then also offensively, and how we can kind of get better there."
Shough has spent the offseason doing things expected of him as the new face of the team, attending community events, doing the media rounds and generating hype on social media about his new teammates.
Those things will go a long way to making Shough a fan favorite and a good teammate, but the work on the field this summer will be vital for his long-term outlook as the starting quarterback.
Kamara said Shough is ready for it.
"I mean, he's mature. He got some swag to him," Kamara said. "There's this lightheartedness about his game and his approach that like, 'He works his ass off, but he also doesn't take himself too serious.' ... I think he deals with it well. If there's some criticism, he don't shy away from it, but he don't let it pierce his heart. And if there's some praise, he takes it and keeps moving."
Who becomes the new face of this Saints' defense?
It's hard to imagine a Saints defense without Davis and Jordan, who were captains and pillars of the team throughout several regime changes.
Davis signed with the New York Jets after eight seasons in New Orleans and Jordan remains unsigned after 15 years as a Saints pass rusher. However, the door remains open for Jordan to potentially return, according to Loomis.
Loomis said there was an offer extended to Jordan and talks have been good, but there's nothing new to report regarding his return. (Also, Loomis said there's no news on a potential return of Hill, who does not have an offer from the Saints.)
"Those guys have earned the right for self-determination, right? So we're not going to put any deadlines on anything," Loomis said.
If Jordan doesn't return, he and Davis' voices won't be immediately replaced.
New Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss, signed to be the team's new Mike, said one player can't replace a vocal leader like Davis.
Chase Young will take on Jordan's role as the team's sack leader after finishing with 10 sacks in 12 games last season, although who will fill that spot alongside him is less clear. Carl Granderson hasn't had the same production as Jordan, as his best season was an 8.5-sack season in 2023. He had six sacks last year.
Jordan's intangibles -- his work ethic, his time spent in the community and his ability to play for years without major injury -- is tough to overcome.
The departure of the veterans will push new players to step up as defensive leaders, whether that's someone such as Elliss, Young, or safety Justin Reid.