Larry Warford

Warford’s name has come up in trade speculation before, with The Athletic speculating that he could be moved for a third-round draft pick earlier this month. That’s caused by a drop off in his level of play, despite his three consecutive Pro Bowl trips — ignore the grades from Pro Football Focus and watch him getting bulldozed in the playoffs loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Moving Warford now would allow the Saints to play both Ruiz and McCoy in 2020. It would also free up more than $7 million against the salary cap, which the Saints could use after Monday’s compensatory draft pick cutoff to add more impactful veterans.

Maybe the Saints could package Warford’s contract with one of their future draft picks. They’re already projected to receive an extra third-round comp pick after losing Teddy Bridgewater, so they might be more willing to make a move. Could a combination of Warford and next year’s third rounder get the Saints back into the second round?

One team to watch: the Baltimore Ravens, who are replacing Marshall Yanda with last year’s fourth-round pick. They’ve gone after former Saints often in recent years, signing both Mark Ingram and Willie Snead in free agency. Baltimore also has multiple picks in the second and third rounds.

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