The New Orleans Saints haven’t made the NFL playoffs since 2020.
They’ll be looking to break that streak in the upcoming 2026 season. In order for that to happen, they’ll need a big season from one particular player.
Travis Etienne Jr. Named X-Factor For New Orleans Saints Ahead of 2026 NFL Season
ESPN’s Ben Solak recently named the biggest X-Factor for every team in the league heading into the ’26 season, and the selection for the Saints was running back Travis Etienne Jr., who signed with New Orleans in free agency after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“With [Erik] McCoy on the mend and veteran free agent David Edwards playing left guard, the Saints’ offensive line could take a big leap in 2026. Second-year tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and third-year tackle Taliese Fuaga are ready for it. But Etienne needs to deliver on his end of the bargain — a four-year, $48 million deal that made him, at the time, a top-10 running back in terms of salary,” Solak wrote.
“. . . He has endured scheme changes, terrible offensive lines and fended off committee backfields. He also has value as a receiver. But the Saints need him to be a quality veteran back behind what they expect to be an ascending young line as they build a good offensive nucleus for Shough to develop.”
Etienne ran for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns on 260 attempts for Jacksonville last season. He also caught 36 passes for 292 yards and six more TDs. If all goes according to plan in New Orleans, he should improve upon those numbers in the coming campaign.
Travis Etienne Will be Greatly Missed in Jacksonville
While the Saints are excited to have Etienne on the roster, he will be missed in Jacksonville, as Jaguars head coach Liam Coen recently acknowledged.
“We’ll never be able to replace what he was able to do for us,” Coen said of Etienne. “Whether it was last year or what he’s done in Jacksonville throughout the course of his career.”
The Jaguars and Saints played against each other in Week 1 of the preseason last month, but Etienne didn’t play in the game.
New Addition Named X-Factor For New Orleans Saints Heading Into 2026 NFL Season