The New Orleans Saints disappointed fans and themselves last year, and for a number of years for that matter, since winning Super Bowl XLIV.  Like their NFC South underperforming counterparts, the Saints have questions to be answered.  Here are 5 key questions for the Saints:

Why did they trade Jimmy Graham?

Trading one of the biggest offensive weapons in the NFL and a big cap figure for unknown future defensive players and a center is a huge gamble on par with Mike Ditka’s roll of the dice with trading the entire draft for the right to get Ricky Williams.  When everyone sees the significant improvement in the Seahawks offense with Graham and not much more production in the Saints defensive output, it could have a negative ripple effect from management down through coaching.

How will they redistribute the football now that Graham is gone?

Drew Brees’ time as an elite quarterback is running out and no one could have been more disappointed at the loss of Graham’s mismatch ability and a place to go when all else fails.  Head coach Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael will have spent a lot of time from the time of the trade to opening kickoff developing new concepts to distribute the ball to many different players, one of Brees’ strengths.

Did the Saints upgrade the defense?

Veteran defensive tackle Kevin Williams enters his 13^th season and was added late in the offseason.  He is big and proven (All-2000’s team), but does he have enough left in the tank to be impactful?  Second round pick OLB Hau’oli Kikaha from Washington has good athleticism, but a history of significant knee injuries and will always be a “hold your breath” kind of guy, whenever he gets up slowly.  Stephone Anthony from Clemson at ILB may have been a reach with a late first round pick, but he is a physical guy.  Third round pick, cornerback P.J. Williams from Florida State is needed help for the secondary, but needs to keep his nose clean off the field.

Why did the Saints go offensive tackle with their first round pick Andreas Peat from Stanford?

After trading Jimmy Graham and telling fans it was to upgrade their defense, it was a surprise to most that they took an offensive tackle with their top pick, but they still need to keep Brees upright and healthy to keep their high-flying offense productive.

Will Mark Ingram become elite?

Ingram played in the most games last year in his four-year career with significantly more touches than any other season.  Pierre Thomas is a very good partner for Payton to mix in, but the Saints will need Ingram to stay healthy and productive to keep the pressure off the passing game and make the play-action attack remind everyone of the Peyton Manning/Edgerrin James glory years with the Colts.

(Bonus question) Will the Saints be able to sustain any pass rush without Junior Gallette?

As referenced above, the Saints defense is a major question mark.  That question mark became that much bigger with Thursday’s release of their sack leader, Junior Gallette.  Cam Jordan is a great player up front, but everything else on the Saints defense is unproven, potential talent.  New Orleans is going to have to find a pass rush on defense or else they’re going to have to play some serious keep away on offense.