The New Orleans Saints enter this offseason with very limited resources to work with. That will likely mean scouring the free agent market for some good deals on cheap veterans.
As most of the NFL is now focused fully on the offseason, the players that are likely to become ‘cap casualties’ and get released are also starting to become more clear. One such player that the Saints might be interested in is Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson.
David Lantham of LastWordOnSports named New Orleans a top landing spot for Jackson, should he get released as expected. This was his reasoning:
While most of the offseason turmoil stems from the Saints offensive line, they need to do some work in the secondary. Marshon Lattimore is a Commander, and impending free agent Paulson Adebo may have priced his way out of New Orleans. 2023 second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry played well in his inaugural season, but this team still needs more help in the secondary.
The Panthers signed Jackson to a two-year deal last offseason. Seeing as though he struggled and only ended up playing in nine games, Carolina setting him free and saving just under a million dollars seems like a likely outcome.
The 28-year-old was actually a former success story from his time with the Buffalo Bills. He was a seventh-round draft selection that ended up carving a nice role for himself in the Bills secondary. He’s never been a ball-hawk, but has played solid coverage for a depth corner. His coverage skills have been on the decline, though.
Over his first three seasons, he allowed catches on just 56.8% of his targets. In this last two, that number has jumped up to 75%.
He is young enough to not give up on. Perhaps the Saints could help him get back to the promising start to his career. The bottom line is that New Orleans will just simply need bodies in the room and Jackson could be a worthwhile look for a rotational role.
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