4 remaining free agents Chargers should consider signing

With about $8.5 million left in spending money, the Los Angeles Chargers can make one more signing.

The Chargers have been quite active this free agency period, signing three well-known players, which have addressed some critical positions of need.

After all of the moves made, Los Angeles has about $8.5 million left in spending money, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.

In-house players like safety Adrian Phillips and defensive tackle Damion Square who remain unsigned could be who they ultimately use that money on.

However, general manager Tom Telesco could dip into the free agency pool one last time to make a signing.

With that being said, here are the 4 remaining free agents that would fill a need and fit within their budget.

Jason Peters, OT

The signing of Bryan Bulaga fills a glaring need at the right tackle position, but the left tackle spot is an unknown. The team could be looking to address it in the draft or they feel confident enough in Trey Pipkins. But I think bringing in a proven veteran like Peters would do wonders and aide in the development of Pipkins. Even at 38 years of age, Peters only allowed 21 pressures on 562 pass-blocking attempts last season. He had the fourth-highest grade in pass blocking and 17th-highest grade in run blocking, per Pro Football Focus. Peters would likely be willing to take a short-term deal worth less than $10 million annually.


Andrus Peat, OL

The Chargers have shored up the right side of the offensive line with the acquisitions of Bulaga and guard Trai Turner. However, the left side remains in a flux. Even at the guard spot, it’s uncertain how the team feels about Dan Feeney and Forrest Lamp moving forward. If they wanted to bring someone that provides inside-out versatility, Peat is an option. The former Stanford product has made two Pro Bowls in his career. In his first three seasons in the NFL, he has posted overall grades of 67.1, 71.5 and 68.3 while spending time at both left tackle and left guard, per PFF. He was up and down in 2019 and has missed nine games over the past two seasons with various injuries. But overall, he is a complete blocker and has very few penalties against him.


Josh Bynes, LB

The Chargers released Thomas Davis last week, which created a bit of a hole at the linebacker position. Denzel Perryman and Drue Tranquill are slated to be the starters, with Kyzir White projected to be starting OTTO. However, the depth at the position is slim and injury concerns with Perryman are still there. Bringing in a 10-year veteran like Bynes wouldn’t be a bad idea. Bynes has been a bit of a journeyman, playing for three different teams, but he might be one of the more underrated linebackers in the league. He’s an intelligent player, stout against the run and good in coverage. According to PFF, he’s had two of his highest coverage grades in his career this past two stints— in 2019 he was the 12th best linebacker in coverage.


Taylor Gabriel, WR

I am a firm believer that the Chargers are better off taking advantage of a deep wide receiver draft class and spend the money that they have elsewhere. But if they want a guy that has been in the league for a few years and meets what they should be looking for (speed), Gabriel is proven and wouldn’t cost all that much. He averaged 7.8 yards after the catch per reception with the Falcons in 2016 and he averaged 6.6 in 2017. Gabriel spent two seasons after that in Chicago after signing a four-year deal in 2018, catching 96 passes for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns over the two stints.

Projecting new contracts for prominent Saints free agents

Big-time New Orleans Saints free agents like Teddy Bridgewater, Vonn Bell, Andrus Peat, and David Onyemata will soon test the open market.

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The NFL’s legal tampering window is just days away from opening, with pending free agents around the league eligible to hear offers from other teams. That includes 20-plus players from the New Orleans Saints; we took a crack at identifying possible suitors for some of their higher-profile free agents, and made an educated guess at who might stay or leave for new opportunities.

But how much might some of these free agents earn on the open market? Here is what we came up with for four different candidates, leaning on the

Teddy Bridgewater

To estimate how much Bridgewater may earn on the open market, we started with looks at what similar players have signed for in the past. Backups-turned-starters like Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett each received bumps in pay that averaged more than $27 million per year, while Super Bowl LII hero Nick Foles saw his potential salary rise to $23 million as Carson Wentz’s backup; Foles later agreed to a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars that has him on the books for $22 million per year.

So our educated guess at Bridgewater’s ceiling remains the same as what we suggested back in October. If interested teams seriously view him as a starting franchise quarterback, he should command north of $25 million per year. But don’t be surprised if the glut of highly-drafted lame ducks around the league, like Mitchell Trubisky, depress Bridgewater’s market a bit. His market could top out around $20 million annually.

1 pending free agent Chargers should target: NFC South Edition

Chargers Wire lists one player on each team in the NFC South that the Los Angeles Chargers could target.

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to enter free agency with the most salary cap available since Tom Telesco took over as general manager in 2013.

Even though the franchise has some in-house players that will need to get paid, there’s a great chance that Telesco and company will be aggressive in signing other soon-to-be free agents to bolster an already talented roster, with the hopes of making a quick turnaround after finishing 5-11 in 2019.

With that being said, we are going to list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A. Next up is the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints – G Andrus Peat

Peat, 27, was drafted as a tackle in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft but has played guard for the Saints. Peat has made two Pro Bowls in his career, but was up and down in 2019 and has missed nine games over the past two seasons with various injuries. A complete blocker, Peat has very few penalties against him. The positional versatility should attract the Chargers as he has the ability to plug-and-play at one of the guard spots or at right tackle.


Carolina Panthers – CB James Bradberry

At the age of 26, Bradberry is barely entering his prime. He defended nine passes along with a career-high three interceptions this past season. His best season came in 2018 when he defended 15 passes, posted two interceptions, forced a fumble and recorded a sack. Los Angeles wouldn’t necessarily have to go broke to acquire him – but based on his production in recent seasons he wouldn’t be that cheap, either.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DT Beau Allen

After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Eagles, Allen played the last two with the Bucs as a rotational defender where he amassed 40 tackles, four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. At 6-foot-2 and 333 pounds, Allen has the functional strength to occupy blocks, has a desirable mentality for the position, brings energy, plays hard and gives terrific pursuit effort. These characteristics should really stand out to the Chargers, who are in need of shoring up the interior part of the defensive line.


Atlanta Falcons – DE Adrian Clayborn

Clayborn, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. Wow! Clayborn has been an integral piece to the Falcons’ defensive line as he is averaging around 5.6 sacks per season. Clayborn, 32, isn’t the player that he once was in his prime but he’d offer some juice as an additional pass-rusher. The best part about it is that he wouldn’t be that expensive to acquire.

1 pending free agent Dolphins should target from each NFC South team

The Dolphins will enter 2020 free agency window with 1 of the biggest cap totals in the league. Who should they target from the NFC South?

The Miami Dolphins are all set to enter 2020 free agency next month and continue the team’s ambitious plan to completely overhaul the roster. Yes, this team’s primary objective appears to be to build through the draft. But the Dolphins will have a mass surplus of cap space at their disposal and the environment in South Florida is one filled with optimism after the Dolphins finished 5-4 over their final nine games.

Looking across the NFL landscape, there’s a ton of potential contributors set to hit the market. Here’s one pending free agent from each team in the NFC South that the Dolphins should consider:

New Orleans Saints – Offensive Guard Andrus Peat

Jan 13, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive guard Andrus Peat (75) lines up against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter of a NFC Divisional playoff football game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Peat might be one of the top targets for the Dolphins in the entire league. He’s got college experience at tackle, NFL experience at guard, he’s generally considered the 3rd best guard on the open market behind Washington’s Brandon Scherff and New England’s Joe Thuney and he’s the youngest of all three at 26-years old.

Peat also missed 6 games in 2019 with a broken arm and hasn’t played a full 16 games schedule once in 5 NFL seasons.

The players stacked above Peat and some modest injury questions could help keep him out of the $13- to $15M-per year expectation that Thuney and Scherff are looking at challenging in free agency.

If Miami signed him, Peat would instantly be the team’s best offensive lineman.

2021 Compensatory Draft Picks: 8 Saints free agents who could qualify

The New Orleans Saints have many expensive pending free agents, and they could qualify for compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Why don’t the New Orleans Saints ever get any compensatory draft picks? The NFL’s process for awarding those extra selections is carefully guarded by the league office, but the analysts at Over The Cap have done a good job of approximating it based off historical results.

And what they’ve found is that it directly lines up with how active teams are in unrestricted free agency. The only teams that qualify for compensatory picks are those that lose more unrestricted free agents than they’ve added; that means the Saints, always aggressive in the open market, rarely lose more than they gain. But things might be different in 2020.

As many as 27 Saints players could hit the open market this offseason, though many of them are special teamers and career backups. We’re guessing that only 8 Saints free agents could end up qualifying in the compensatory pick formula, and it’s no sure thing that they all return (or get replaced by free agents; the Saints have several easy replacements in the building already). That opens the door for next year’s draft class to get reinforced with some additional picks.

The quality of compensatory selections awarded correlates with the per-year contract values of unrestricted free agents lost to other teams, with the most-valuable contracts translating to third-round picks while the lower-valued may only result in seventh-round selections. Thankfully, Over The Cap estimates the different tiers as such:

  • 3rd round: $13 million or higher
  • 4th round: $8.5 million to $13 million
  • 5th round: $6.5 million to $8.5 million
  • 6th round: $4 million to $6.5 million
  • 7th round: $1.5 million to $4 million

With that in mind, here’s where we’re projecting each qualifying Saints free agent to factor into the compensatory formula.

CB Eli Apple

Will Vragovic/Getty Images

Estimated average annual salary: $3.75 million

Projected compensatory pick: 7th round

How much are teams going to buy into Apple’s late-season skid before his injury? He was rock-solid in coverage for the first half of 2019, living up to the hype his coaches spoke about during the offseason. But something seemed to switch in Apple when Marshon Lattimore missed time with a hamstring injury, and he ended up getting fouled five times in two games before his own injury sidelined him. If teams think Apple is a first-round draft bust and at best a reclamation project, he probably won’t break $4 million on the open market. But all it takes is one team to bet on his consistently-strong play from the bulk of last season and offer him $7 million or more per year.

Eli AppleP.J. WilliamsDavid OnyemataVonn Bell

A.J. KleinAndrus PeatTeddy BridgewaterDrew Brees

4 left guards the Jets should target in free agency

Jets Wire takes a look at four left guards the Jets should target in free agency this offseason.

When the Jets traded for Kelechi Osemele last offseason, it looked like they were getting their starting left guard for the next two seasons.

Instead, Osemele lasted half a season with New York, suffering a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery and led to his release in late October. That left Alex Lewis and Tom Compton to man the position from November on — a duo that was not exactly up to snuff.

Joe Douglas now has a chance to right the Jets’ wrongs at left guard in free agency. There are plenty of intriguing options available on the open market, including a big fish that has the potential to change New York’s entire look in the trenches.

With that being said, here are four left guards the Jets should target in free agency.

Joe Thuney

Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

New York’s pursuit of a new left guard begins with Thuney. A former third-round pick out of NC State in 2016, he has become one of football’s elite offensive linemen, earning second-team All-Pro honors last season.

Thuney has not only established himself as a reliable run and pass blocker, but as a durable option on the line as well, not missing a single game since getting drafted. Thuney’s 64 career starts have afforded him ample experience early in his career and at only 27-years-old, he still has a lot of room to grow.

Thuney comes with a hefty price tag, but it’s safe to assume Douglas is willing to meet it considering the need to improve in the trenches. Expect New York’s first-year general manager to do whatever it takes to steal him away from New England.

2020 NFL Free Agency: Best Saints options from the Bills

Starting Buffalo Bills guard Quinton Spain may be headed for unrestricted free agency, making him an ideal fit for the New Orleans Saints.

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With NFL free agency nearly a month away, we are going to take a look at every team’s free agents in the days ahead. We will highlight which players could be potential options for the New Orleans Saints from every other team, with today highlighting the Buffalo Bills. We will continue following the list in alphabetical order. Here’s who the Saints could target from the Bills:

  • DT Jordan Phillips
  • OLB Lorenzo Alexander
  • CB Kevin Johnson
  • DE Shaq Lawson
  • G Quinton Spain
  • RT LaAdrian Waddle
  • RB Frank Gore
  • OLB Julian Stanford
  • LB Maurice Alexander
  • FS Kurt Coleman
  • DT Corey Liuget
  • RB Senorise Perry
  • SS Dean Marlowe
  • C Spencer Long (Club Option)
  • G Isaac Asiata (RFA)
  • WR Isaiah McKenzie (RFA)
  • TE Jason Croom (ERFA)
  • CB Levi Wallace (ERFA)
  • WR Robert Foster (ERFA)

Buffalo has 19 free agents heading into the 2020 offseason. There are a couple of options that the Saints could pursue in free agency that would make sense for the club.

Again, New Orleans biggest needs lie at guard, wide receiver, linebacker, and tight end.

The first name that pops out is that of Shaq Lawson.  In 2019, Lawson recorded 6.5 sacks in 15 games, and was given a PFF grade of 68.3. Furthermore, his snap count has steadily increased each year as his role in the Bills defense has expanded culminating in a 47% snap count share this season. Buffalo has declined his fifth-year option which allows Lawson to be an unrestricted free agent. At just 25-years old, Lawson will be looking to cash in on a lucrative, long-term deal that may be a deal breaker for the Saints.

If New Orleans decides to go outside the organization for another guard, the Quinton Spain could be an option. Spain played in all 16 games in 2019, and played in 100% of offensive snaps for 15 of them. 2019 represented a down year for the interior offensive lineman, but would still represent a marked upgrade from Andrus Peat and Nick Easton.

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5 Saints in-house replacements for pending free agents

Whether C.J. Gardner-Johnson steps in for Vonn Bell or Nick Easton replaces Andrus Peat, the New Orleans Saints have options in free agency.

The New Orleans Saints are set to lose multiple key players to free agency this offseason, including a number of entrenched starters. In order to minimize the effect of those losses, the Saints will turn towards the 2020 NFL Draft and the free agency signing period to help fill those holes on the roster. But, there are internal options under contract for 2020 and beyond that could potentially step in right away. Some of that is by design, while others are more like happy accidents. Here are four candidates that could replace some of the Saints’ pending free agents.

Shy Tuttle for David Onyemata

New Orleans acquired Onyemata in a draft-day trade, climbing the board in the fourth round back in 2016. The athletic defensive tackle instantly became a productive member of the Saints defensive front. Now, he is set for free agency, and it appears his replacement is waiting in the wings.

Tuttle is set to help take over Onyemata’s production in 2020, and he has already become endeared to the Saints’ fan base. Despite logging only 373 snaps in 2019, he made the most of them, and even intercepted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on Thanksgiving Day before delivering an iconic stiff-arm. But he’s more than just that one highlight; a starting gig for Tuttle could be an upgrade over Onyemata.

2020 Pro Bowl: Saints struggle to fit everyone in a photo before practice

The New Orleans Saints sent 10 players to the 2020 Pro Bowl, and struggled to fit all of them together for a photo before NFC team practice.

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The New Orleans Saints sent a huge delegation to the 2020 Pro Bowl, even with star cornerback Marshon Lattimore declining an invitation due to injury. They’re represented with ten players from all three units: offense, defense, and special teams. It’s given the NFC team practices the look of a Saints group workout, due as much to the number of players from New Orleans as this year’s white-and-gold uniforms. Here’s the full list of participants:

  • #13 WR Michael Thomas (starter)
  • #94 DE Cameron Jordan (starter)
  • #11 KR Deonte Harris (starter)
  • #3 K Wil Lutz (starter)
  • #9 QB Drew Brees (backup)
  • #72 LT Terron Armstead (backup)
  • #87 TE Jared Cook (alternate)
  • #75 LG Andrus Peat (alternate)
  • #67 RG Larry Warford (alternate)
  • #41 RB Alvin Kamara (alternate)

Unfortunately, the downside to having that much star talent in one place is that it can be difficult to get a photo of everyone gathered together. But the Saints made their best effort, putting undrafted rookie phenom Deonte Harris front-and-center with taller teammates Armstead, Cook, and Peat in the background. They’ll get an “A” for effort:

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Larry Warford called up to Pro Bowl, makes 10 Saints in total

The New Orleans Saints now have 10 players listed on the 2020 Pro Bowl roster, with right guard Larry Warford called up as an alternate.

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The New Orleans Saints have broken their own team record for the most players selected to the Pro Bowl in a single year, with right guard Larry Warford raising the total to ten. He’s the third Saints player called up for the NFL’s all-star game as an alternate, joining left guard Andrus Peat and tight end Jared Cook, who were both promoted last Saturday.

Five Saints players were named starters on the NFC roster, a group that includes wide receiver Michael Thomas, defensive end Cameron Jordan, cornerback Marshon Lattimore, kick returner Deonte Harris, and kicker Wil Lutz. Additionally, quarterback Drew Brees and left tackle Terron Armstead are listed as backups. Peat, Cook, and Warford will also likely participate as backups.

It’s impressive to see so many Saints players get this kind of recognition; it wasn’t too long ago when only one or two of their number would get to join in. What’s really remarkable is that seven of the ten players started their NFL careers with the Saints, while just three (Warford, Cook, and Brees) were added as free agent signings. This is what homegrown talent looks like it.

Now, that’s not to downplay what the team has accomplished in free agency. Warford was a solid but unspectacular starter with the Detroit Lions; since signing with the Saints in 2017, he’s been selected for the Pro Bowl in all three years that followed. Talk about a home-run hit.

This year’s Pro Bowl will kick off from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 26 at 2:00 p.m. CT. Tickets are already up for sale, and fans can also tune in on ESPN or ABC. With so many Saints players taking part, this won’t be one to miss.

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