Tag: Deadline

Podcast: A legit pass catcher could push Saints back into NFC contention

Podcast: A legit pass catcher could push Saints back into NFC contention

The latest episode of the Saints Wire Podcast is here, brought to you again by Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler (@john_siglerr) with host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanOLearySMG) returning to the mic. You can subscribe for new episodes on Apple Podcasts or your podcast app of choice, and catch up on past episodes in the playlist embedded below.

This week we’re catching up with the various players returning from injuries and taking stock of the Saints against the rest of the NFC, before weighing which improvements New Orleans could try to make before the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline. But we’ve also got to discuss whether the Saints can pull off an upset of the reigning-champ Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Get up to speed:

Saints trade candidates ahead of NFL trade deadline

The New Orleans Saints figure to be buyers, not sellers, but they do have a few trade candidates ahead of the NFL trade deadline:

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It would be a surprise to see the New Orleans Saints trade away players at the NFL trade deadline, but that could help facilitate new pickups. Whether it’s a player-for-player swap or a salary cap-minded move to free up resources to spend at a different position, we can’t rule out anything in the days ahead.

Still, I’d rather see the Saints pursue improvement on offense (especially in the receiving corps). But it’s tough to ignore the quality depth they’ve built up on defense, which could prove useful. Here are a few names on my radar before the Nov. 2 trade deadline:

A quick history of the Saints and the NFL trade deadline

A quick history of the Saints and the NFL trade deadline; will New Orleans cut another deal?

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Few teams have been more active at the NFL trade deadline than the New Orleans Saints. They’ve already acquired running back Mark Ingram in a deal with the Houston Texans, adding a much-needed veteran presence to the backfield in someone who already knows the playbook inside and out.

And it’s part of a pattern that goes back to 2017, where the Saints have continued to make an effort at improving their roster up to the last minute. They made in-season deals to bring in help at obvious positions of need like cornerback and linebacker, and we shouldn’t rule out another deadline deal from them this season. Let’s recap the last few years:

9 players Saints should target before NFL trade deadline

The Saints should swing for the fences in pursuing playmakers like TE Evan Engram and WR Brandon Aiyuk at the NFL trade deadline. 9 trade candidates:

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How active will the New Orleans Saints be at this year’s NFL trade deadline? Recent history suggests they’ll be right in the thick of things. They acquired linebacker Kwon Alexander at the 2020 deadline and came close to trading for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in 2019; cornerback Eli Apple arrived in a 2018 trade. And, oh yeah, they just brought Mark Ingram back after his three-year exodus with the Ravens and Texans. Expect them to continue to work the phones in search of upgrades.

And there isn’t a more obvious upgrade than the group of pass-catchers surrounding Jameis Winston. Well, pass-catchers in name only — 16 targets went to wide receivers during Monday night’s close win over the Seattle Seahawks, but only four of them were caught. With Michael Thomas still on the PUP list, Deonte Harris injured, and Tre’Quan Smith looking rusty-at-best, the Saints are quite literally beggars now, with their only real hope of improving Winston’s supporting cast being another team’s cast-offs.

They may be unwilling to throw too many resources at the problem after putting two draft picks on the table for Bradley Roby, but it’s worth noting that New Orleans still has a number of picks to work with in 2022 and 2023, with several compensatory picks expected to convey. But here are nine names they should call about:

Report: Saints explored trade for Colts RB Marlon Mack

The New Orleans Saints made ‘preliminary inquiries’ into a trade for Indianapolis Colts RB Marlon Mack, per USA TODAY’s Josina Anderson:

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It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints have wanted to improve their depth at running back. They’ve brought in three different players after losing promising second-year pro Tony Jones Jr. to an injury, adding Devine Ozigbo to the 53-man roster behind Alvin Kamara and Dwayne Washington while signing free agents Ryquell Armstead and Lamar Miller to the practice squad.

But they might have swung a trade for another player, if the price was right. USA TODAY’s Josina Anderson reported Thursday that the Saints were among a group of teams that made “preliminary inquiries” in a trade for Indianapolis Colts backup Marlon Mack. Playing behind the uber-talented Jonathan Taylor and capable change-of-pace backs Nyhiem Hines and Taylor Wilkins (while recovering from a 2020 Achilles injury), Mack tumbled quite a bit down Indianapolis’ depth chart.

Now 25 and playing out the final year of his contract (which carries a miniscule salary cap charge for any team that acquires him), Mack has totaled 564 carries for 2,480 rushing yards and 20 touchdown runs in the NFL. He’s also caught 57 of 84 career targets for another 448 receiving yards, catching a pair of touchdown passes. He’s been effective when healthy and given opportunities.

It’s easy to see why the Saints and Colts couldn’t reach an agreement, though. With so many other competitors in the mix they weren’t able to add Mack on the cheap (like, say, in exchange for a seventh round pick in 2022). It’s unlikely they’ll end up cutting a deal now after bringing in so many other running backs, but you never know. The expect return of many players from injuries and suspension these next few weeks will create salary cap flexibility for the Saints ahead of the NFL’s Nov. 2 trade deadline.

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Look: Saints initial 53-man roster after NFL cuts deadline

Look: New Orleans Saints initial 53-man roster after NFL cuts deadline

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That’s a wrap: the New Orleans Saints filed their list of roster cuts ahead of Tuesday’s NFL deadline, putting together their initial 53-man depth chart made up of the players left behind. What can we learn from it?

Obviously it’s early, and there are going to be many moving parts in the days ahead as players are waived and snuck onto the practice squad or designated to injured reserve (remember, an unlimited number of injured players can return after resting at least three weeks), with others arriving as free agents or waiver claims. This is just what the roster looks like on Tuesday. It will look different a week from now, and it could change even more before Week 1’s kickoff.

Here is the full list, with those waived or sent to an injury list (injured reserve or physically unable to perform, for Michael Thomas) struck through:

Saints roster cuts: Tracking the path to 80 players

The New Orleans Saints whittled their roster down to 80 players at the NFL deadline, but they lost several players to injured reserve:

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The New Orleans Saints filed five roster cuts ahead of Tuesday’s NFL deadline, keeping their roster compliant with the 80-man maximum. And more changes are on the way as free agents workout and trade chatter picks up around the league. But here’s what you need to know about which Saints players are on their way out:

Saints roster moves: K Brett Maher lands on injured reserve

New Orleans Saints roster moves: Brett Maher lands on injured reserve

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So that’s not ideal. The New Orleans Saints filed a flurry of roster moves with the daily NFL transactions wire ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to trim down from 90 contracts to 85, but their biggest loss is kicker Brett Maher.

Maher was signed a week ago following core muscle surgery for Wil Lutz, but he’s now going to be out of action after being waived with an injury designation. He’ll be reverting to injured reserve. Lutz is still recovering so look for more tryouts to fly in to New Orleans soon.

Additionally, the Saints made official the previously-reported releases of veteran defenders Noah Spence and Prince Amukamara. Both players struggled in the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens so now attention turns to their younger teammates.

And Maher isn’t the player waived with an injury designation: rookie running back Stevie Scott III, from Indiana, will also land on injured reserve. Scott was one of a handful of players who didn’t get on the field for Saturday’s exhibition game and this explains his absence.

So too was veteran offensive tackle Kyle Murphy. He initially went in with the second-string offensive line but exited with an injury, and now he’s going on injured reserve. His loss does create opportunities for other players like Landon Young and Ethan Greenidge, but we’ll see if the Saints bring in additional free agents to work out.

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Marcus Williams, Saints pass deadline without extension; what comes next

Marcus Williams, Saints pass deadline without extension; what comes next

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Deadlines spur action, but even these stakes weren’t enough for Marcus Williams and the New Orleans Saints to shake hands on a new contract. The cutoff date for franchise tagged players to sign an extension before the 2021 season was at 3 p.m. CT on Thursday, July 15, and it ultimately didn’t happen.

So now Williams is on track to be a free agent in 2022. It means that he will have the highest salary cap hit of all Saints players while playing on the $10.612 million franchise tag. His agent can’t negotiate with New Orleans on a new deal until after the 2021 season wraps up. This wasn’t the ideal outcome. Williams has the threat of a career-threatening injury hanging over him, while the Saints don’t have as much financial stability to address other needs.

Both sides tried to reach an agreement, but ultimately fell short. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on the Pac McAfee Show hours before the deadline that, “I know they have negotiated heavily, I have not gotten the sense they are close on anything.” That lines up with a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that put Williams and the Saints among a group of franchise tag situations with little prospects of reaching a new deal.

So what comes next?

If Williams turns in another productive season, he’ll be lined up for the franchise tag again in 2022 or a big pay day — or maybe both, as was the case for Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons. Simmons received the tag for a second time this year (valued at $13.729 million, a 20% increase over 2020’s amount), but it bought enough time for Denver to hammer out a record-setting four-year extension paying out $15.25 million per year.

That might be the path forwards for Williams and the Saints. A similar price increase for his second franchise tag would come up to roughly $12.734 million next year, but as with Simmons and the Broncos that’s money New Orleans could shuffle around upon reaching a new deal. Ideally, though, it won’t come to that.

Of course, we’ve already missed out on an ideal outcome. Now we’re exploring the consequences of that swing-and-a-miss. The Saints are already navigating a complicated salary cap situation and this doesn’t alleviate that pressure. Here’s hoping cap guru Khai Harley can keep the ship steady until the cap goes to the moon in 2023.

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The clock is ticking on a Saints-Marcus Williams contract extension

The clock is ticking on a Saints-Marcus Williams contract extension

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Deadlines spur action, but Marcus Williams and the New Orleans Saints risk taking this one too close to the wire. NFL rule stipulate that franchise tagged players must sign a contract extension no later than July 15, or else play out the current season on the tag with no means of negotiating a new deal until the following offseason.

It shouldn’t be too hard for both sides to figure this out, especially with next week’s cutoff date looming over them. With more than $11.6 million in salary cap space following their recent extension with Ryan Ramczyk, the Saints have enough resources to meet whatever contract parameters Williams may be seeking. And it’s in Williams’ interest to secure his financial future.

But will the team and the player end up shaking hands? What’s the holdup?

The Saints clearly value Williams highly, or else they wouldn’t have issued the tag in the first place (a move that forced them to release No. 2 cornerback Janoris Jenkins in the process). That sets the stage for him to join the NFL’s highest-paid safeties, and his play backs it up. He already ranks within the top 10 interception leaders in franchise history.

If Williams doesn’t ink a new deal next week, things get difficult, but not impossible to navigate. The Saints could tag him again next offseason to continue to buy time in contract negotiations — that’s what the Denver Broncos did with Justin Simmons, one of Williams’ peers, who eventually signed a $15.25 million per-year extension to reset the safeties market.

That’s the ceiling for an extension with Williams, though a more realistic number would be in the $14 million per-year neighborhood. That’s where Eddie Jackson ($14.6 million), Kevin Byard ($14.1 million), Landon Collins and Tyrann Mathieu ($14 million each) all landed. Something approaching a four-year, $58 million deal feels appropriate for Williams’ qualifications and the state of the market, especially given he is two or three years younger than each of them with more room to grow as a player.

Hopefully the Saints can check this item off their offseason to-do list sooner rather than later. Finalizing an extension with Williams would free up other resources to go towards veteran free agents at positions of need, as well as upcoming contract talks with 2022 free agents like Marshon Lattimore and Terron Armstead. But this domino has to fall first.

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