BREAKDOWN: New Orleans Saints' Penalties, Injuries, and Red Zone Woes Causing Concern As 2026 Nears

The New Orleans Saints  must conquer penalties, injuries, and red zone woes before the 2026 regular season kicks off. Discipline remains the x-factor, with Kellen Moore and coaching the keys after consecutive preseason games riddled with self-inflicted mistakes. The Saints' injury list continues to grow, testing depth at key positions and raising questions about how much precaution has impacted training camp and preseason preparations.   With a 34-0 preseason shutout loss against the Rams and red zone struggles haunting both offense and defense, the focus shifts to whether Tyler Shough and Chris Olave can ignite a turnaround. The Saints may need to risk risk playing starters in the final preseason contest against the Cowboys to establish rhythm, despite durability concerns. Players like Danny Stutsman, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Travis Etienne Jr. are poised to shape the team’s identity as New Orleans pursues improvement, and answers, ahead of Week 1 versus the Detroit Lions.   00:23 Saints' Biggest Concerns 10:45 Saints Allowed to Improve 20:42 Starters in Preseason 26:17 Precaution Or Servity?   Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images   BECOME A LOCKED ON SAINTS ALL-ACCESS MEMBER: https://lockedonsaints.supercast.com/   Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-saints/   Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More 🎧https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/   LouisianaSports.Net's Ross Jackson hosts the Locked On Saints Podcast keeping the Who Dat Nation up-to-date with everything you need to know about your beloved New Orleans Saints.   And follow Ross on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New Orleans Saints and talking with fans. On Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RossJacksonNOLA   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Gusto Try Gusto today at gusto.com/LOCKEDONNFL, and get three months free when you run your first payroll.   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM to play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.   KALSHI For a limited time,Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10.   Square Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/lockedonnfl! #squarepod   Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast.   Odoo Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.       FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) BECOME A LOCKED ON SAINTS ALL-ACCESS MEMBER: https://lockedonsaints.supercast.com/ Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-saints/ Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ LouisianaSports.Net's Ross Jackson hosts the Locked On Saints Podcast keeping the Who Dat Nation up-to-date with everything you need to know about your beloved New Orleans Saints. And follow Ross on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New Orleans Saints and talking with fans.On Twitter: https://twitter.com/RossJacksonNOLA Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.