Saints Breakout Star Gearing Up for Another Impressive Season

It’s time for the New Orleans Saints to prove they belong. They’ve had struggles the past few years, but with the changes they’ve been making, 2026 could be their season. Finally.

Could. Let’s see if it happens. At least they have one breakout star to watch closely next season.

Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports is highlighting his absolute favorite under-the-radar breakout stars for 2026.

“The offseason and preseason do provide plenty of opportunities for individuals to make their jumps from relative unknowns — at least to casual fans — to standouts,” he says.

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For the Saints, he tags left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. It’s a mix of numbers and heart, as for the reason why.

“Kelvin Banks Jr. not only held down the left tackle spot for the entirety of the 2025 season as a rookie, but he did so in impressive fashion, too,” he says in the piece. “The No. 9 overall pick was the No. 27 tackle in football according to PFF’s grades, well ahead of highly regarded veterans Dion Dawkins and Ronnie Stanley as well as the player who was selected five spots ahead of Banks last April, Will Campbell.”

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It’s rare to see a rookie come in right away and make waves like Banks did. It’s exciting. He got even better as the season went on, too. Let’s see what he does in 2026 with Tyler Shough at quarterback. Shough has something to prove, more than Banks, but he could use the player to help make him look good.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 10:34 AM.