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For better or worse -- and it was usually worse – wide receiver defined the Saints season more than any other position this season, and that will likely remain true going into next season.

New Orleans planned on getting by with the players it had at wide receiver last season. Thriving seemed outlandish, given what was available on the roster. Still, it looked like a potentially survivable situation, given the team had to shed $110 million from the salary cap to get compliant with league rules.

Then we found out that Michael Thomas delayed his ankle surgery and missed the season, and Tre'Quan Smith started the season with an injury and didn't make his debut until Week 7. Taking out the two best players from a depth chart that already looked thin led to the expected results.

Things were as bad as they've ever been around here. Marquez Callaway led the team with 698 yards receiving, and the team didn't have a single player catch 50 passes, and only four of them eclipsed 31. We used the number 31 because that was the same number of passes the team dropped this season, which is the most by a Saints team over the last five seasons, eclipsing the 27 drops the team had in 2019. The low during that span was 17, set in 2017.

Wide receiver

The depth chart: Michael Thomas, Marquez Callaway, Kevin White, Easop Winston, Deonte Harty (restricted free agent)

Unrestricted free agents: Tre'Quan Smith, Kenny Stills

Everything about the path forward centers on Thomas, and that's why I think it might be best to operate this offseason like he is a bonus. Not because Thomas' return from his pair of ankle surgeries should be viewed with a sense of pessimism, but because that might be the safest way forward after what this team went through last year with Thomas sitting out the season due to injury.

New Orleans should go into the offseason with the goal of acquiring another player befitting the top spot on the depth chart. That player could arrive through either the draft or free agency. When Thomas returns, he will slot back at the top of the depth chart, but having a second player worthy of receiving 100 targets wouldn't be a bad thing, and Thomas and that player should be able to co-exist.

The Saints might even be wise to double-dip at this position and build on its strengths the way it has at other positions, such as linebacker last year when they drafted Pete Warner and re-signed Kwon Alexander. A total revamp of the depth chart is needed.

Callaway and Deonte Harty (previously known as Deonte Harris) are young and promising players. Callaway is probably best in a role where he isn't sitting atop the depth chart and can slot in a little further down, though he did an admirable job in that role last year. Harty got opportunities to play a lot of snaps and showed he could succeed in a traditional receiver role and make game-breaking plays with the right quarterback.

The team is truly a pair of players, and some good luck with Thomas, away from this position having a completely different outlook. Nothing should be more important than this position outside of acquiring a quarterback.

As for Thomas, there might not be a more important player on the roster right now. His talent and what he does for this offense is undeniable. The middle of the field disappeared last year, and the team only connected on 20 slant routes the whole season. Thomas has always been a quick safety valve for his quarterback. New Orleans didn't have one of those players at receiver this season.

But even more telling were the things that never happened. You used to watch Thomas and see the coverage move his direction, with sometimes as many as three guys within his vicinity. Teams didn't have to plan for any of these guys last season, outside of perhaps Harty's speed. There is nothing more important than figuring out how things will look with Thomas moving forward.

Quarterback

The depth chart: Taysom Hill, Ian Book, Blake Bortles

Unrestricted free agents: Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian

Everything should be on the table right now.

New Orleans needs to have its eyes on the draft, trade market and free agency and weigh every available option. If all paths lead back to Jameis Winston, that's fine, and the team can certainly win with him under center, but all options must be explored until you are sure you have your franchise quarterback under contract.

The Saints are not currently in that position.

Winston had a solid season last year. He proved he can operate an offense without turning the ball over if nothing else. In seven starts, he threw four interceptions, or one every 49.5 dropbacks. During his 30-interception season in Tampa Bay, Winston averaged an interception every 23.3 dropbacks. Winston averaged an interception every 37 dropbacks during the three seasons prior to his outlier 2019 campaign.

The quarterback's 14 touchdowns in his seven starts paired against the interception rate helped push the quarterback's rating up to 102.8, which put him seventh in the NFL and one spot ahead of Tom Brady. His QBR of 64.3 ranks fourth in the NFL and puts him ahead of players like Patrick Mahomes (62.4), Josh Allen (60.8) and Joe Burrow (54.5).

While Winston did some good things, those numbers are a little bit misleading and are the result of taking advantage of opportunities, which shouldn't be knocked at all. But it has to get mentioned the quarterback only attempted more than 23 passes in a game twice and often didn't have the weight of the game on his shoulders. Winston even spoke at times about wanting more responsibility and having more opportunities to prove himself. Before his ACL injury, it started to look like he was getting those.

New Orleans will need to figure out what Winston's value is and weigh that against whatever other options exist and weigh it from there. If the quarterback comes back on a short-term deal, it shouldn't preclude the organization from looking in the draft for other options, even in the early rounds.

Taysom Hill should return in his jack-of-all-trades role. If New Orleans doesn't re-sign Trevor Siemian, it might need to explore options for the backup position unless it already believes Blake Bortles can handle that role.

The Saints could decide to do work here or focus on other areas and run it back the same as it was last year. Both options would work fine.

Running back

The depth chart: Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Tony Jones Jr., Adam Prentice

Unrestricted free agents: Ty Montgomery, Dwayne Washington

Alvin Kamara carried the weight of this offense on his back, and despite posting the lowest numbers of his career, he might have done some of his best work this season. Judging him off of his numbers – 3.7 yards and nine total touchdowns – would be erroneous and an evaluation lacking all context.

Kamara was the team's only consistent offensive weapon this year, and teams adjusted to focus on him. The running back saw more heavy boxes than he has at any other point in his career, and the way the team had to play games forced the offense to use Kamara in a more straightforward and predictable manner.

The biggest concern is the number of touches he had this year. Kamara only appeared in 13 games, the lowest mark of his career, and had 46 more carries than he had in any other season. On the record, the Saints would likely point out that Kamara had 287 touches, which is close to the 270 he had last year. But if they were being honest, they'd probably prefer to return to a style of offense where more of Kamara's touches are coming on passes where he's getting tackled by defensive backs instead of running up the gut into defensive linemen and crashing linebackers.

The trade for Mark Ingram proved to be a smart one. The veteran running back returned and provided sparks of life when he was healthy and on the field. Even at 32, Ingram still has good burst and looks like someone who can be a valuable part of the offense. He should continue to serve in that role moving forward, mitigating the need to make a significant investment at this position.

However, even with the top players in the fold, the Saints could add to the back end of the depth chart. Jones Jr. didn't show the same promise he flashed during the preseason once the games counted, and Ty Montgomery's contributions were limited and sporadic.

Tight end

The depth chart: Adam Trautman, Nick Vannett, Juwan Johnson (exclusive rights), Garrett Griffin (restricted), Ethan Wolf, Dylan Soehner

Adam Trautman is already a good blocker and will earn his keep for a while strictly off of that ability.

But the Saints didn't make him a third-round pick because he can block well. Plenty of players can do that, and they cost far less. Trautman got picked where he got picked because there is a belief he can develop into a quality pass catcher. After two years in the league, Trautman has shown flashes and not much sustained production so far.

And that might be OK. One thing to keep in mind is that Trautman came to New Orleans via the University of Dayton. He was always going to need some time to adjust, and perhaps that runway is a little longer than expected. But now the period for patience is expiring, and the Saints are going to need Trautman to start showing up every week, or they'll have to find someone else who can give them a little more production from this spot.

One of the more curious things to happen this year was the disappearance of Juwan Johnson. The converted wide receiver started the season off on a high note and looked like he would be a strong red-zone threat, but then he fell out of the lineup and didn't get many opportunities again. The future still looks bright for Johnson, given his skills, and he should find a way to contribute to this team moving forward.

As things stand now, this is certainly a position where New Orleans could justify making a significant investment, whether it be in free agency or the draft. The upgrading of weapons doesn't have to happen just at wide receiver. Getting a high-end tight end would be another way to make life easier on the quarterback. And even if the team does that, it wouldn't have to squeeze Trautman out. New Orleans runs plenty of two-tight end sets.

Offensive line

The depth chart: Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, Calvin Throckmorton, Landon Young, Ethan Greenidge (restricted), Cohl Cabral, Jerald Hawkins

Unrestricted free agents: Terron Armstead, Will Clapp

The team's strength became one of its weaknesses this year, mostly because Terron Armstead, Ryan Ramczyk and Andrus Peat battled injuries all season.

The players left standing performed as best they could. James Hurst emerged as one of the bright spots of the group, and if worse comes to worst, if there are no other options, he proved the team can get by just fine with him serving as a starter. The rest of the reserves looked the part.

There has to be some level of concern about Cesar Ruiz's ability moving forward. As the season moved along, he started to get better as a pass blocker, but he isn't getting it done in the running game. This level of inconsistency is hard to tolerate for an interior offensive lineman drafted in the first round. The Saints drafted him to be a pillar on the offensive line, but too often it feels like they need to find ways to hide him. Ruiz has to turn a corner this offseason.

Erik McCoy continued to play solid despite some tough conditions around him.

Andrus Peat is often the target of fan criticism, but his value to this offensive line was evident. His absence was routinely felt in running and screen plays, where he excels at getting down the field and leading the way. While Peat is sometimes inconsistent in pass protection, he sets a high floor relative to what New Orleans had available this season.

This offseason's biggest decision will center on what to do with Terron Armstead. The left tackle recently underwent surgery and will soon hit the open market. Sources indicate the Saints will make him an offer, but it will be interesting to see for how much.

Finding a replacement for Armstead would be difficult. The likely outcome would be Ramczyk shifting to left tackle. Would New Orleans feel comfortable with Hurst at right tackle in that scenario? Would Landon Young get a shot? Or would the team look for outside help?

Otherwise, it seems likely this group will run it back next year. All it really needs is some healthy players, and things should improve.