New Orleans Saints free agent report cards: Daniel Sorensen and Kentavius Street were among 2022’s value signings, but how much did they help the team?
We’ve already reviewed the larger moves of last year’s New Orleans Saints free agent class — handing out report cards for veteran players like quarterback Andy Dalton, slot receiver Jarvis Landry, and safeties Tyrann Mathieuand Marcus Maye. But they weren’t the only players the Saints added last offseason. They made a series of value signings at or near the veteran’s minimum, and some of those players really helped the team out in some clutch moments.
Here’s a quick look at the free agent report cards for safeties Daniel Sorensen and Justin Evans, tight end J.P. Holtz, and defensive lineman Kentavius Street:
New Orleans Saints free agent report card: Was Andy Dalton a good veteran signing in 2022? The Saints didn’t get where they wanted to go, but how much of that is on him?
Was Andy Dalton a good veteran signing in 2022? The New Orleans Saints didn’t get where they wanted to go this year after naming him their starter, but they didn’t sign him with the expectation that he’d lead them to the playoffs, either. The offense sputtered, stopped, and started without much cohesiveness under his direction. At the same time, it wasn’t designed with him in mind, and injuries to key players like Michael Thomas, Trevor Penning, and Jarvis Landry impacted what they were able to do once he was in the lineup.
We’ve already recapped the 2022 free agent report cards for other signings like Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye. Let’s break down Dalton’s first season in black and gold:
Was Marcus Maye a good veteran signing? He missed time with injuries but brought qualities no one else in the Saints secondary can match:
Was Marcus Maye a good veteran signing? The New Orleans Saints made him a priority after losing longtime starter Marcus Williams to the Baltimore Ravens early in the free agent signing period, and though he missed time with injuries he brought qualities no one else in the Saints secondary could match in 2022.
It remains to be seen how large a role Maye will play in 2023 — he’s been awaiting a DUI suspension since the 2021 offseason, and he has long-lasting injury concerns — but his contract structure suggests he’ll remain in the Saints’ plans moving forward. But should they be looking for his replacement anyway? Let’s recap his 2022 season on our free agent report card:
Was Tyrann Mathieu a good free agent signing? He played almost every snap and led the team in takeaways, but there are some flaws to talk about on his Saints report card:
It’s been a long time since a player joined the New Orleans Saints with as much fanfare as Tyrann Mathieu. The hometown hero returned to New Orleans with lofty expectations as the crown jewel of their free agent class — and after some early-season frustrations, he met them. Now he’s an integral piece of their defense moving forward.
So how do you grade Mathieu’s first season with the Saints? Are those initial struggles worth holding against him, and did he do enough later in the year to make up for them? Let’s review his 2022 season in our free agent report card:
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Macro and micro; always in a battle for most relevance. The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants are currently in a tight battle for the second-best record in the NFL’s best conference ever. The NFC East has been having a historically good season. With a combined 26 wins against just 11 losses, the division has the best combined record at this point and right on the heels of Week 11’s action will come the next head-to-head matchup.
The currently 7-2 New York Giants will arrive in Dallas to take on the currently 6-3 Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, in the Cowboys’ annual Thanksgiving display. Week 11 results could change things, but for now it will be a battle for second place and the top wild-card spot, with the winner still having a shot at catching the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles. The game could also be a deciding factor in who gets the biggest boost to those chances by signing free-agent WR Odell Beckham, Jr.
Barr comes cheap, but the role he can fill for the Cowboys’ defense may be invaluable. @KDDrummondNFL explains how with the help from @VikingsWire editor @JordyMcElroy
Whether one agrees with the philosophy or not, and rest assured most Cowboys fans on social media fall in the latter category, one thing is for sure. Dallas executive VP and CEO Stephen Jones fully commits to his philosophy. After years of chasing the big free agent prize such as CB Brandon Carr in 2012, Greg Hardy in 2015 and a failed attempt at Sammy Watkins in 2018, Jones has kept the Cowboys near the cap limit by signing mid-level deals with mid-level free agents. But in 2022, he avoided the Keanu Neal, Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy types and just stacked his chips for another day.
He still made the judicious low-risk signings that barely impacted the cap like he did in uncovering Jayron Kearse and rediscovering Malik Hooker last season. That was attempted with guys like WR James Washington and FB Ryan Nall. He even reached an in-between, bringing in Edge Dante Fowler, Jr. for just under $3 million. Jones wants to carry as much cap space as possible into the future for signing young talent such as CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs — both eligible for extensions this coming offseason — and eventually Micah Parsons. But he is sticking to his word that if the opportunity to improve the team comes along for the right price, he’d jump. And he did so with bringing in four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr for relatively little expense.
Here’s a look at six legit WR options if the Cowboys want to test free agency, along with the obligatory don’t-do-it option that has to be mentioned. | From @KDDrummondNFL
The Cowboys may not know when they can expect James Washington to return from his foot injury; at least not yet. Recovery times from Jones fractures, the injury Dallas fears he has suffered but has not yet been verified, can range anywhere from weeks to months, depending on whether rest or surgery is prescribed. Jones fractures are normally revealed through x-rays, which the Cowboys have the ability to conduct on site in Oxnard, but they are also sending him for an MRI.
Regardless, the free agent addition is going to miss the rest of training camp, which is a blow to a team trying to replace two key cogs in their wide receiver depth chart. Chemistry between wideout and quarterback is paramount in the NFL and now Dak Prescott will not get the time to create this with Washington during practice and throwing sessions as planned. Should Dallas look to bring in a player from the outside?
This was already a strong consideration, at least among the fanbase, when analyzing the depth chart. The Cowboys signed 2022 USFL MVP Kavontae Turpin, a speed demon who is elite with the ball in open space, but he was likely at the bottom of the depth chart. Washington was competing to start until Michael Gallup returned at some point in the first half of the season.
Dallas may want to go grab someone with NFL experience to join the fray. Here’s a look at some potential candidates, which does not include Odell Beckham, Jr., who isn’t expected to be ready until October or November.
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Potential is a dangerous word in the world of professional sport. The label only truly has a positive connotation during a player’s first, maybe second season. After that, being labeled as having potential means an unreached ceiling, expectations unmet. It means high production has been flashed but unrealized. Takkarist McKinley has potential, but he’s a long way from the expectations that surrounded him as a 2017 first-round pick of Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons.
And now, it looks like the Cowboys may try to rekindle that potential, and that connection if McKinley is recovered from an achilles injury he suffered while playing with Cleveland last season. The Browns were the third club McKinley played for but fifth he was associated with after failed physicals following waiver claims by Cincinnati and San Francisco in 2020 before landing with the Raiders. And now the Cowboys have brought him in for a free agent visit as the club works in training camp in Oxnard, CA.
The Cowboys tried out pass rusher Takk McKinley, who played for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as a first round pick for the Falcons.
McKinley has 20 career sacks in 60 games, a total that would place him third on the Cowboys’ roster behind DeMarcus Lawrence (48.5) and the first DE reclamation project of 2022, Dante Fowler, Jr. (35). Fowler also worked under Quinn and is back for a second go-round to try and reinvigorate his career.
Fowler is expected to compete for a starting role opposite Lawrence with Dorance Armstrong and possibly second-round rookie Sam Williams. McKinley would certainly be a candidate for a rotation spot along with Tarell Basham, if the sides are able to work out an agreement.
McKinley was picked by the Falcons in the first round of the 2017 draft, two spots before the Cowboys drafted Taco Charlton. The team was heavily interested in McKinley at the time, so combined with Quinn now being the Dallas defensive coordinator, it makes sense the two sides would talk if the player is nearing readiness to return to the field.
Last season, Dallas signed free agent safeties Damontae Kazee and Malik Hooker as they were coming back from achilles injuries. Kazee started 15 of his 17 games with the Cowboys but it was Hooker who received a second contract with Dallas, latching on for another two years.
According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, McKinley did not work out with the club, but rather underwent a physical and met with the staff.
Cowboys are hosting ex-Falcons DE Takk McKinley today on visit, person familiar with situation said. McKinley’s first visit since tearing Achilles in December with Browns. Itinerary: physical and meeting with coaches — no workout. Likely to make other visits, barring development.
Former Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander signs 1-year contract with the Jets, reuniting with his old coach Robert Saleh:
Former 49ers’ and Saints’ linebacker Kwon Alexander is signing a one-year deal with the New York Jets, per source. Alexander played for Jets HC Robert Saleh in San Francisco.
There it is: ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported that the New York Jets are signing Kwon Alexander to a one-year contract, meaning the former New Orleans Saints linebacker will not be returning to the Big Easy. Alexander visited New York early this year upon reaching free agency, but it took some time for both sides to reach a deal. Because we’re well past the NFL compensatory draft pick cutoff date, the Saints won’t receive any future picks for Alexander’s departure.
It’s a good opportunity for Alexander to reunite with his old defensive coordinator Robert Saleh (now the Jets head coach), but it comes at an inopportune time for New Orleans with Alexander’s successor Pete Warner missing time in training camp with an injury.
Alexander quickly became a fan-favorite with the Saints, pairing up with Demario Davis as a set of playmaking veterans at the second level of the defense; the sizeable LSU Tigers lobby within the fanbase didn’t need much of a push to warm up to the Baton Rouge product, either, and his surprising rally back from an Achilles injury made him easy to root for. Now he’ll be playing with his former Saints teammates Sheldon Rankins and Justin Hardee Sr. up north.
Werner showed enough as a rookie last year to earn confidence in his ability to replace Alexander full-time, but that hinges on how many practices he’ll have to sit out while healing up. He can run and cover with the best of them so long as his body’s right. In the meantime, look for backups Zack Baun and Kaden Elliss to fill in for him during practice, along with first-year draft pick D’Marco Jackson.
8 Saints free agents have been signed by other teams this offseason, but few of them will suit up against New Orleans in 2022:
The New Orleans Saints lost a couple of high-profile free agents this offseason, with big-time players like Terron Armstead and Marcus Williams leaving for hefty contract offers from other teams. But they weren’t the only departures from New Orleans in the spring. Eight former Saints players landed with new rosters — we’ll run through the list in just a moment, and you can find the nine unsigned former Saints free agents here.
An interesting wrinkle here is that only two of them could play against their old team during the 2022 season. Williams’ Ravens will visit the Saints for a prime-time Monday night game on Nov. 7, which has the makings of a pivotal midseason matchup in Week 9. The only other departed free agent, backup defensive tackle Jalen Dalton, could suit up against the Saints twice if he makes the cut with the Atlanta Falcons.
So don’t expect to see many former Saints playing against New Orleans in the near future. Armstead, for example, could see the Saints again in 2023 if the Miami Dolphins end the 2022 season with the same divisional ranking; if that’s not the case, he won’t see his old team again until 2025.
Here’s the full list of Saints free agent losses from 2022:
