How important is it for the NEw Orleans Saints to add another tight end? They aren’t going to find a rookie who can handle a higher volume of targets in the passing game than Juwan Johnson (who they just signed to a two-year extension), though some receiving ability is needed. Ideally they’ll find a new blocking tight end who can handle a wider range of responsibilities than Adam Trautman, who hasn’t really developed since his rookie year.
But first we need to know what we’re working with. Here’s list of tight ends signed for 2023, with new additions in bold:
- Juwan Johnson
- Adam Trautman
- Miller Forristall
- Lucas Krull
Taysom Hill is listed at tight end on the official roster, but that isn’t the position he plays. Last season he lined up more frequently at quarterback (148 snaps) and wide receiver (101) than at tight end (51). He may have attended more meetings in the tight ends room, but he isn’t part of the big-picture plan at that position. His positional flexibility is an asset and the Saints are smart to avoid limiting him to one spot.
Krull might be just a guy. He’s tall and brings great straight-line speed with a big catch radius, but he spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad and didn’t get many opportunities to show what he can do. It’s obviously worth bringing him back for Year 2 to see if he can take a step forwards, but if the Saints are angling for improved blocking they’ll probably need to draft someone.
And this year’s draft has a stacked class at tight end. Michael Mayer and Darnell Washington are two early-round prospects who can throw their weight around as blockers; Penn State’s Brenton Strange is also climbing draft boards after doing well in pre-draft workouts. He brings a physical presence as a blocker and there’s a lot to like about his small sample size of targets in the passing game. You could say the same of Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker. Dalton Kincaid (Utah) and Luke Musgrave (Oregon State) are eager to mix it up at the line of scrimmage but neither player has the functional strength to make much headway just yet. They’ve got to get in the weight room.
So we’ll classify tight end as more of a “want” than a “need” and certainly not a “must.” The Saints should want to get better here (especially with Trautman entering a contract year) but they’ve got bigger fish to fry and spending an early-round pick on a part-time player who is mainly expected to block isn’t the best use of resources. If they can address bigger priorities along the defensive line first, then it makes sense to target more of a luxury like at tight end in the later rounds.
