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What’s next for the New Orleans Saints, now that the big waves of free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft are behind them? The months between now and their late-July training camp look to be quiet, but the Saints could still shake things up with a few crafty roster moves.
One transaction we should prepare for might be the release or trade of veteran guard Larry Warford. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell singled Warford out in a survey of every NFL team’s most-likely cut candidates, writing:
The Saints keep flooding the interior of their offensive line with assets. Last year, they signed Nick Easton in free agency and then traded up to draft Erik McCoy, who excelled at center as a rookie. This offseason, they re-signed Andrus Peat to a five-year, $57.5 million deal and then used their first-round pick on center Cesar Ruiz, who will shift over to guard.
This raises questions about Warford’s future, given that the former Lions guard — who has started 44 regular-season games over the past three seasons in New Orleans — is owed $8.5 million in the final year of his deal.
It isn’t the first time Warford’s name has come up in these sort of conversations. The Athletic also put him out there as an option for the Saints to move during or after the 2020 draft, maybe recouping some picks in 2021 after their always-aggressive trade strategy in this year’s event. The Saints already used their third- and sixth-round picks in 2021, but they’re projected to earn each selection back as compensatory picks — unless the NFL doesn’t allow it.
However, we might not see any movement on Warford until the Saints meet for training camp. The team doesn’t really need any more salary cap space right now, even if they should consider starting on long-term deals with Alvin Kamara, Demario Davis, and a handful of other 2021 free agents.
There’s something to be said for making Ruiz and McCoy each earn their starting jobs this summer, and Warford’s presence would push them to compete even harder for a spot on the starting lineup. While the Saints plan to try out both Ruiz and McCoy at guard and center, there could be a scenario where Warford puts in the work during the offseason and ends up looking like the best option to start at right guard again in 2020. If that’s the case, the Saints would know they at least have a quality backup in either Ruiz or McCoy.
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