Saints headed for boom or bust season

The 2016 season could be either a resounding success or somewhat of a disaster in The Big Easy.

Ignoring all signs that scream for a wholesale rebuild, the New Orleans Saints have made it abundantly clear they intend to chase another Super Bowl, and with some talent in place at key roster positions, the potential for such a run is certainly there.

But significant issues still lingering after a disappointing 2015 season appear to indicate a similarly realistic chance that things could quickly head in the opposite direction.

Here's a look at two polar-opposite outcomes for the Saints this year.

The case for Super Bowl contention

Any team's championship potential can largely be attributed to the caliber of player calling the shots under center. In Drew Brees, the Saints still have one of the NFL's all-time greats.

The 37-year-old started all but one game last season, racking up 4,870 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just 11 interceptions. At a time when his physical skills are supposed to be deteriorating, and on a team that forced him to play catch up more often than not, the maintained efficiency is incredibly impressive.

Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, and Michael Thomas give him an intriguing group of targets, and the second-year development of Andrus Peat has the potential to round out a strong offensive line up front.

With Sean Payton and Brees still leading the way, though, the offense was never going to be much of a problem. The defense, coming off a year in which it surrendered a league-worst 29.8 points per game, will be the main reason for concern heading into the fall.

In looking at the potential for improvement on that side of the ball, it should be noted that the 2015 results could've been exponentially worse were it not for Dennis Allen's promotion down the stretch. After leading a much-improved group over the season's last six games, Allen now has a full offseason and training camp to help the group move forward from the disaster that took shape under Rob Ryan.

The additions of Sheldon Rankins and Nick Fairley finally shore up what had been a problematic interior front alongside star defensive end Cameron Jordan, and there are solid starters in place throughout the linebacker corps and the defensive backfield.

If healthy, this group could jump up to a league-average standing before long, which is enough to complement the efforts of a high-powered offense.

The case for a bottom-five finish

Evaluating the projected starting lineup is the most sensible way of assessing a team's ceiling heading into a season. An organization can typically only go as far as its stars will take it, after all.

But as history has shown, it's rare for a team to make it through a grueling season without having its depth tested in one way or another.

That's where this Saints club could take a turn for the worse.

On the offensive side, the lack of depth is most evident up front. An injury to any starter, as the roster currently stands, immediately forces a player with little to no experience into action. Two such instances could quickly make for a patchwork unit in front of the team's most important player.

And issues on the other side of the ball are even more widespread.

Beyond Jordan and Rankins in the starting lineup, and Hau'oli Kikaha rotating down from linebacker in nickel sets, the Saints possess little in terms of a rotational pass rush. Improving upon a disappointing 31-sack season may be difficult as a result.

A starting secondary of Delvin Breaux, Keenan Lewis, Kenny Vaccaro, and Jairus Byrd has the talent to compete with the best of passing offenses in base sets, but forcing additional players onto the field in nickel and dime packages creates a concerning unknown. Injuries, of course, only multiply that issue.

To avoid having a clear lack of depth exposed, the Saints may simply need some luck on their side.

Any team making a playoff run requires some good fortune, but that need is more significant for the Saints, given the way their roster has taken shape.

Losing even a few key players for any amount of time could make the difference between a 12-4 and 4-12 finish to the year.