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The New Orleans Saints aren’t exactly in an enviable position. With free agency on the horizon, they have to work quickly to figure out what to do with all three of their quarterbacks in addition to seven or eight other starting spots on their roster (ranging from two-time Pro Bowl left guard Andrus Peat to defensive tackle David Onyemata, safety Vonn Bell, and linebacker A.J. Klein). They don’t have much salary cap space to work with, and previous moves limit them to just five selections in the 2020 NFL Draft. That’s not great.
Fortunately, they’ve managed worse situations before. This won’t be the first time Saints coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis, and assistant general manager Jeff Ireland must work together to identify their team’s biggest offseason needs and work to address them. The added pressure of a closing Super Bowl window with Drew Brees at quarterback and limited resources isn’t exactly a new challenge for them. The Saints always work to maximize their assets, and 2020 should prove no different.
The analysts at Pro Football Focus named their top three offseason needs for the Saints, and the headliner is clear: find some help for Michael Thomas at wide receiver. Here’s what PFF writer Ben Linsey had to say about where the Saints stand at wideout:
Michael Thomas is awesome. He just had one of the best wide receiver seasons that we’ve ever seen, hauling in an NFL record 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns this season. As his Twitter handle says, you can’t guard Mike. Life would be easier for him, though, if the Saints added a second wide receiver who could lighten the load. No wide receiver besides Thomas registered over 1.00 yards per route run for the Saints this season. Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre’Quan Smith were two of just 15 wide receivers with 250 or more routes run and less than one yard per route run. Improving that situation would go a long way to improving the offense.
There’s no arguing with that. While Thomas did his best Atlas impression by putting the rest of the offense on his back, he shouldn’t be asked to do that every year. It’s imperative that the Saints find ways to stock up the receiving corps with legitimate weapons who can make life easier for everyone.
Additionally, Linsey pointed to two other positions as secondary needs: quarterback and cornerback. With no passers under contract for 2020 just yet (even if returns for Brees and third-stringer Taysom Hill feel likely), it’s important that the Saints get a handle on that situation. The circumstances at corner are also a concern; just three players are under contract there in Marshon Lattimore, Janoris Jenkins, and Patrick Robinson, and either Jenkins or Robinson could be salary cap casualties:
The person distributing the football to the receiving options in 2020 is still up in the air. Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater are both entering free agency this offseason, so the Saints have a decision to make as to which direction they want to take at the quarterback position. Similarly, they have a decision to make at cornerback, where Eli Apple will be a free agent. Marshon Lattimore’s job is secure at one of the outside cornerbacks, and rookie Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was fantastic in the slot, but the other outside cornerback position will be up for grabs heading into 2020.
What do you think? Is this an accurate assessment? The Saints have other needs, too — at guard, like we said, but also at linebacker and safety — but it’s tough to argue against these three positions being the highest priorities to target during the Saints offseason. We’ll find out in just a few short weeks whether the Saints’ brain trust agrees.
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