Ouch. The New Orleans Saints took a series of gut punches to open 2023 free agency when the legal tampering period opened on Monday, losing defensive starters David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport as well as top backups like Kaden Elliss and Shy Tuttle. Individually, they’re each replaceable, but it’s a lot of change for the defensive front going into the offseason.
But the Saints were able to make some moves of their own in the days and weeks leading up to it, re-signing priority free agents like Juwan Johnson, J.T. Gray, and Tanoh Kpassagnon while landing their top choice at quarterback in Derek Carr (and agreeing to keep Jameis Winston as his backup, on a pay cut).
So how does this all impact the Saints’ team needs going deeper into free agency? With the 2023 NFL draft on the horizon, it’s worth revisiting our list to get a feel for where this team needs to improve the most:
1
Defensive tackle
The Saints lost their top two players at this position in Onyemata and Tuttle, and at least one of their established backups (Malcolm Roach) wants to at least test the free agent market before accepting the two-year deal offered to him. That leaves just one defensive tackle under contract with the Saints for 2023: Prince Emili, who joined the practice squad in 2022 after playing a grand total of 27 snaps with the Buffalo Bills.
2
Running back
This is the easiest position for a new player on offense to help out right away. Any receivers will be competing with Chris Olave (and Rashid Shaheed) for targets. A new tight end will be playing behind Juwan Johnson. They’re set at quarterback. But fresh legs at running back will have ample opportunity. Alvin Kamara has played his best football when paired with another capable runner, and the six-game suspension looming for him would give a new arrival plenty of time to make a good impression.
3
Defensive end
Listing this position so high is painful given all of the salary cap dollars and premium draft picks invested in it. But losing Davenport is big — more importantly, whiffing on the bold trade to acquire him in 2018 is a mistake that’s still being felt. Re-signing Kpassagnon to back up Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson was smart, but this has to be a make-or-break season for Payton Turner. Putting all of your eggs in that one basket is concerning, though. Another addition would make sense.
4
Wide receiver
Olave was seriously impressive last year, and he’s poised to take a big step with Derek Carr slinging the football. Shaheed did well on a small sample size but it’s asking a lot of him to do it every week against NFL defensive backs. Even if Michael Thomas returns, his durability issues make an investment necessary at receiver. Right now Tre’Quan Smith is coming off the bench when the team goes four-wide.
5
Safety
The Saints did bring back J.T. Gray but Justin Evans, P.J. Williams, and Daniel Sorensen remain free agents, and there’s room for another safety on the depth chart — preferably someone who can help out right away guarding the slot. Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye are both 30 and entering the second year of their three-year contracts. Getting a rookie in to cover the slot in 2023 and prepare to replace one of them in 2024 would make a lot of sense.
6
Linebacker
The Saints just lost Elliss — why isn’t linebacker a higher priority? Dennis Allen’s scheme and preference for running nickel personnel is still the same, so a new linebacker isn’t going to be playing ahead of Demario Davis and Pete Werner. They might not even be playing over Zack Baun now that Elliss proved an undersized pass rusher can win off the edge for the Saints. Retaining someone like Andrew Dowell would make sense for depth and special teams.
7
Offensive guard
This will change depending on what happens with Andrus Peat’s contract. If he’s let go, the Saints suddenly have a massive hole to fill at left guard. If he restructures his contract to stay another year, they’ve proven they can win games with him on the left side, Cesar Ruiz at right guard, and with Calvin Throckmorton backing them both up (with Lewis Kidd coming off the bench). But this is an area that could be improved either way.
8
Tight end
Re-signing Johnson was a big win for the Saints, but their work isn’t finished here. Bumping Adam Trautman down the depth chart to a pure blocking role would make sense for them. Whether that means signing a more-dynamic veteran in free agency or selecting one of the exciting young prospects in this year’s draft, the Saints will have options to choose from. Getting someone with real chops as a run blocker and trustworthy hands on contested catches would be ideal.
9
Everything else
None of these positions should be priorities in free agency or the draft, but there’s a case to be made for reinforcing any of them one way or another:
- Quarterback
- Offensive tackle
- Center
- Fullback
- Cornerback
- Punter
- Kicker
