2017 NFL Power Rankings: Where do Los Angeles Rams stand heading into Week 1 preseason?

23. New Orleans Saints

Talk about a roller coaster kind of an offseason for the New Orleans Saints when taking a closer look at all of the changes they went through, especially on the offensive side of the football. As painful as it is to admit, sending Brandin Cooks to the New England Patriots in a trade was the best thing that could have happened for the Saints since the wideout only would have continued to be a headache.

Losing a speedy deep threat in Cooks is never easy for a team to replace, but New Orleans never would have made the move if they didn’t feel confident enough in Drew Brees continuing to build chemistry with second-year wideout Michael Thomas. The former Buckeye exploded into the NFL scene as a rookie last year after catching 92 passes for 1,137 yards to go along with nine touchdowns, and assuming Thomas picks up right where he left off, the Saints’ offense will be just fine.

Plus, New Orleans received a major surprise this offseason when Adrian Peterson decided to sign with the team following his release from the Minnesota Vikings to prove he still has plenty of gas left in the old tank to be an effective running back. Mark Ingram may be listed as the starter at the moment, but don’t be surprised if Peterson returns to his old form to give his teammate some competition for carries.