The New Orleans Saints are stuck watching the playoffs from home, but it’s a good opportunity for fans to scout some of the top players headed for free agency — and both the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers have some playmakers who could interest the Saints if they hit the open market.
Here are five pending free agents we’ll be looking for on Sunday afternoon:
Cowboys DE Dorance Armstrong Jr.
It’s tough to see the Saints investing another big contract at defensive end after signing Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson to extensions in the past year, but Armstrong would be a good fit. He’s been an effective rusher from a variety of alignments for Dallas in recent years and he brings the rare size and length New Orleans values at the position. His 7.5 sacks this year would have been second-most for the Saints, and his 16 sacks over the last two seasons are more than anyone has had in New Orleans during that span.
Packers S Jonathan Owens
Owens is an important special teams player for the Packers — his 233 snaps are second-most on the team, and he’s running with five of the six kicking units — and he should already be on New Orleans’ radar as a former teammate of Isaac Yiadom and Lonnie Johnson Jr. on the Houston Texans earlier in his career. He’s also developed into a sure tackler and confident coverage player. The Saints are always looking for more depth in the secondary and Owens checks a lot of boxes for them as a veteran player just now hitting his stride.
Cowboys OL Chuma Edoga
The Saints are hoping they won’t have to replace both tackle spots in the spring, but they should still work to improve the depth chart after having to sign too many linemen off the street in 2023. To that end, Edoga would make sense. He’s started games at three different positions in his five-year career (both tackle spots and left guard) and he has more to offer than, say, Max Garcia and Cameron Erving coming off the bench.
Packers OL Jon Runyan
Runyan has developed into a dependable starter for the Packers over his first four years in the NFL, logging a respectable 1,600-plus snaps at both guard spots. The Saints have locked Cesar Ruiz into the right guard slot but James Hurst was a weak link at left guard and it’s unclear whether rookie draft pick Nick Saldiveri will be able to win that job after converting from right tackle and losing half his rookie year to an injury. If the Saints can afford him, Runyan would be a good pickup.
Cowboys CB Noah Igbinoghene
Igbinoghene has been a healthy scratch for the Cowboys much of this year, playing more snaps on special teams (77) than on defense (25), and he might be inactive again on Sunday. But he’s someone to keep in mind if big shakeups are on the way for the Saints secondary. If Marshon Lattimore is traded this offseason, Igbinoghene would make sense as a low-risk, high-reward pickup like Isaac Yiadom was last year. One thing Dennis Allen has done exceptionally well is find and develop cornerbacks. Igbinoghene has all the physical gifts needed to succeed.
