Whew. The New Orleans Saints were busier than many expected during the first wave of free agency, reaching agreements with several veteran players and bringing back one of their own on Wednesday — the Saints cut deals with defensive tackles Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd as well as running back Jamaal Williams before retaining special teams linebacker Ty Summers.
So what’s left to be done after all of that (and the big-time free agent pickup in quarterback Derek Carr)? The Saints still have some team needs to address between free agency and the 2023 NFL draft. Here’s where we’re looking for movement in the days and weeks ahead:
1
Defensive end
Marcus Davenport has exited the building, leaving the Saints worryingly thin at defensive end. Cameron Jordan is entering the final year of his contract, and neither Carl Granderson nor Tanoh Kpassagnon should be asked to start a full season opposite him — and Payton Turner is a relative unknown in his third year with the team. Practice squad holdover Jabari Zuniga rounds out the group. They could use more help.
2
Wide receiver
Yeah, Michael Thomas is back — but what if he gets hurt again just like the last three years? Rashid Shaheed is exciting but it feels too soon to throw him into the starting lineup with Chris Olave. Bumping him down a spot so the Saints can dictate his matchups and get him favorable looks to gain experience feels like the move. Tre’Quan Smith is still under contract, but we know who he is. It would be nice to have better depth here.
3
Safety
You’d like to think Tyrann Mathieu can play every defensive snap again this year and that Marcus Maye will enjoy better health (and not be suspended following any of his multiple off-field court cases) to play every game, but plans change when you least expect it. Smoke Monday has a lot of fans but the former undrafted rookie hasn’t proven anything, and he’s coming off a season-ending injury. J.T. Gray might be expected to play more defensive snaps. It would be better to pick up a slot defender who can start now and replace Maye or Mathieu next season at safety.
4
Running back
The Jamaal Williams signing is very exciting. But who splits carries with him when Alvin Kamara is suspended six, seven, or eight games (or more)? Eno Benjamin and Derrick Gore? You’d like to have a complimentary back in the lineup who can spell Williams and attack defenses in different ways. Drafting a rookie in the third or fourth round like Tulane’s Tyjae Spears or Texas A&M’s Devon Achane would be ideal, but many other teams are probably thinking the same.
5
Linebacker
Ty Summers is a fine special teams player, but he probably isn’t expected to run with the defensive starters or fill the void Kaden Elliss left behind. Zack Baun might. D’Marco Jackson could be in the mix, too. But they’re both coming off season-ending injuries. That leaves practice squad linebackers Nephi Sewell and Ryan Connelly as your best bets. It’s a bit of a luxury, but adding another linebacker with upside would make sense for this team.
6
Defensive tackle
The Saints got their new starting tandem at defensive tackle in Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders, but you’d still like to stack depth here. Re-signing Malcolm Roach to the two-year contract he was offered would mean a lot. So would drafting a rookie with real chops as a pass rusher. New Orleans likes to run four-deep at defensive tackle so they can keep players fresh and rotate them into games like a hockey team clearing the bench. Adding at least one more viable player here is key.
7
Offensive guard
The longer this plays out the more likely it feels that Peat will be asked to restructure his contract again and have the opportunity to finish his career in black and gold (he’ll be entering the final year of his deal in 2024). Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation is an option, but it doesn’t do as much to help the team’s salary cap situation, so they may opt to just see this through. Either way it would be nice to add another player to develop behind Peat and push guys like Calvin Throckmorton and Lewis Kidd for snaps. If Cesar Ruiz doesn’t have his fifth-year option picked up by May 2, he’ll be a free agent next year.
8
Tight end
It’s not as important a team need after the Saints re-signed Juwan Johnson, but there’s potential for growth here in adding a player who can push Adam Trautman down the depth chart so he can focus on blocking. A veteran tight end like Foster Moreau would be ideal, but this is a very deep draft class and there are prospects available who can help right away in the right role.
9
Everything else
These positions should be addressed either by re-signing the Saints’ remaining free agents or considering budget-friendly options on the open market, or in the draft if the value lines up for it. In no particular order:
- Quarterback
- Offensive tackle
- Center
- Fullback
- Cornerback
- Punter
- Kicker
