The New Orleans Saints have not been hiding their excitement over the signing of future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson. All reports from Saints camp regarding the 32-year-old veteran have been positive.
Despite missing all but three games with a knee injury last season, there’s a feeling around the running back that Peterson will be able to return to 2015 form. Remember, he led the NFL in rush attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns that season.
For the Saints, this was nothing short of a win-now move.
And if you ask fellow future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, that brings a bit more pressure to the rest of the team.
“It’s still just such a surprise that it actually happened,” Brees said, via MMQB’s Albert Breer. “We really signed Adrian Peterson? Mark is such a great player, and so it was amazing he came to us, and I think it says a lot about how he views our organization. …. Knowing that he wants this to be his last stop. And here we go. That puts a little added responsibility on all of us—‘OK, this is our window, let’s go do it.’”
New Orleans is coming off its third consecutive seven-win season. And despite what projects to be an elite-level offense in 2017, the team’s defense has been the primary issue in recent years. In fact, this unit has finished in the bottom six in yards allowed in each of the past three seasons.
It might be win now for Peterson, Brees and Co. That’s fine and dandy. But the team’s defense must step up in order for New Orleans to content for even a playoff spot in 2017.