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The 2020 offseason is full of difficult decisions for the New Orleans Saints, particularly in unrestricted free agency. Both of their top two quarterbacks are headed for the open market, as is a starting defensive back who’s rapidly developed into one of their most-reliable playmakers. Some role players are also up for new deals and should be retained.

We’ve already considered what should be done with the Saints’ restricted free agents, and highlighted several unrestricted free agents who should probably be allowed to leave due to prohibitive costs or poor fits moving forward. Here are six names the Saints must make priorities in the months ahead.

Drew Brees, quarterback

This is easy: Brees is the best player in Saints history and still the face of the franchise. He should never throw for another team. Now keeping him around is easier said than done, and the adjustments the Saints must make to remain competitive with an aging quarterback are another set of issues. If Brees can’t be counted on to complete passes 35 or more yards downfield, it dramatically impacts the entire offense.

Teddy Bridgewater, quarterback

Bridgewater deserves a big payday, that’s not under debate. The question is how much it would cost to retain his services as the backup to Brees. Bridgewater is just 27 and very much in the prime of his career, and proved he can win in the NFL by going undefeated in his five starts last season. If there isn’t much of a market for Bridgewater in free agency, it’s possible he and the Saints can reach an agreement.

Vonn Bell, safety

Bell emerged as one of the most consistent big-play threats in the secondary, having led the NFL in fumble recoveries and logged his first career interception. He’s a sure tackler and a vocal leader in one of the youngest position groups in New Orleans, and they’d do well to retain him. The trouble with him is that he was just a part-time player for his first three years before finally hitting his groove in 2019. Additionally, we’ll be curious to see whether Eddie Jackson’s big contract with the Chicago Bears woke up what was a sleepy free agent market at safety.

P.J. Williams, cornerback

Williams has proven to be a capable slot defender and a quick fill-in at safety, thanks to his understanding of inside-breaking route concepts and aggressive downhill tackling. The Saints would be smart to keep him around as one of their most-experienced defensive backs, but he should receive more active interest in free agency than he saw last year after an early-offseason DUI arrest.

Dwayne Washington, running back

Alvin Kamara is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Latavius Murray played well enough to safely demand more snaps moving forward. That leaves Washington on the outside looking in as far as the Saints running back rotation goes. But his real value is on special teams, where he’s developed into a nice blocking specialist in the return game alongside J.T. Gray, Justin Hardee, Craig Robertson, and Taysom Hill. Of that group, only Hardee and Robertson played more snaps. Washington will hardly command a huge salary, so the Saints should do the smart thing and retain him.

Zach Line, fullback

Few teams utilize a fullback more often than the Saints, and Line’s proven to be a great fit for their offense. Before he went down late in the season with a knee injury, he was ranked top-three leaguewide in snaps played at his position. Though he isn’t asked to run often (which is no surprise with talents like Kamara, Murray, and Hill on the team), Line has converted 16 first downs on his 23 career attempts, while occasionally catching passes or flipping them to Kamara on a trick play. The Saints should be able to re-sign him in the same $1.1 million to $1.9 million range they originally agreed to back in 2017.

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