Tag: deonte harty

6 Saints trade candidates at NFL roster cuts deadline

Trade talks are heating up ahead of the final NFL roster cuts deadline, and the Saints could be sellers rather than buyers. Here are 6 names that may be in discussion:

One of the downsides to building a great team is that there isn’t room for everyone at roster cuts, meaning some good players will be left on the outside looking in. But it’s possible to find a silver lining here by trading players who would otherwise be released outright, bringing back some value where there otherwise would just be a loss. And the New Orleans Saints are looking like a team that could be sellers rather than buyers for once.

NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the team has been fielding trade calls for various players ahead of the Aug. 30 NFL roster cuts deadline, with other outfits around the league seeing opportunity to upgrade from New Orleans’ depth chart. The Saints are really strong in some areas, likely too strong to retain everyone they’d like to. With Underhill reporting other teams’ interest in “many positions” from the Saints’ roster, let’s speculate a little on which names could be at the center of these trade talks, looking at various depth charts and contract statuses:

Jameis Winston and Deonte Harty dazzle in Saints camp Day 6

Jameis Winston lights up Saints camp Day 6 with another downfield touchdown, this time to Deonte Harty. Practice takeaways via @RossJacksonNOLA:

The offense needed a bounce back day in New Orleans Saints training camp on Tuesday and they got it. After multiple days of defensive dominance, the execution and rhythm of the Saints offense finally looked like it settled in, particularly under the leadership of quarterback Jameis Winston. Here are our key observations from today’s practice.

Updated Saints wide receivers corps after adding Jarvis Landry

Updated Saints WR corps after adding Jarvis Landry to Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and 2021’s receiving leaders:

Bang: the New Orleans Saints made a big addition on Friday in adding veteran slot receiver Jarvis Landry, putting the free agent in the mix at a position group that now almost looks flush with talent. Landry is joining Michael Thomas and top 2022 draft pick Chris Olave on top of the depth chart, ahead of last year’s leading receivers Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harty, and Tre’Quan Smith.

It’s a strong group. Here are all of the Saints receivers currently on board for the 2022 season:

Saints roster locks, long shots, and wide receivers on the bubble for 2022

Saints roster locks, long shots, and wide receivers on the bubble: Evaluating the receiving corps after 2022 draft

Things are still in flux with various undrafted rookies still waiting to sign their contracts and some veteran players maybe on the way out to make room, but right now the New Orleans Saints have more names at wide receiver (13) than any other position group, unless you want to be pedantic and lump the offensive tackles, guards, and centers together or do the same for the defensive ends and tackles (Which you shouldn’t. Don’t do that).

But which of these players have a real shot at making the team? We’ve got a long summer to figure that out and see how everyone stacks up against each other in training camp, but it’s worth evaluating the team as it stands now to see if they need more help — which factors into the decision of whether New Orleans should make a harder pitch for free agent receiver Jarvis Landry, for example.

The Saints rarely keep more than six receivers for Week 1, so it’s a safe bet that more than half the players currently under contract won’t make it through final roster cuts. That doesn’t mean some of them won’t return to the practice squad, but odds are a receiver that fans take a liking to will hit the waiver wire. Let’s survey the Saints receiving corps:

Several Saints players rank among the Athletic’s top 30 free agents for 2023

Several Saints players rank among the Athletic’s top 30 free agents for 2023:

The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia put together a list of the top 30 pending free agents for 2023, and several New Orleans Saints players made the cut. That feels ominous after the team parted with two of their highly-rated free agents this offseason in free safety Marcus Williams and left tackle Terron Armstead, but each situation is different, and it’s possible the Saints act more aggressively to retain homegrown talent.

Defensive end Marcus Davenport is the highest-rated Saints player on Kapadia’s lists of pending free agents, ranked at No. 20 overall. His take on Davenport ahead of the 2022 season:

“He’s coming off a career season in which he produced nine sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 11 games. Durability has been an issue for Davenport. He’s missed 17 games in four NFL seasons. But young, versatile pass rushers with upside are always in demand. Davenport is another player who has a lot to gain with a strong 2022 showing.”

Kapadia also listed Saints center Erik McCoy at No. 25, making him the best pending free agent at his position. Here’s what he wrote of McCoy:

“He’s one of the best young centers in the NFL. McCoy has started 44 games in three seasons. He did not allow a sack on 433 pass block reps last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Currently, the top centers make between $13 million and $14 million per year. Given his age, McCoy could top that if he delivers a strong showing in 2022.”

But these aren’t the only Saints free agents to monitor for 2023. Other starters like defensive tackles David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle, defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and wide receiver Deonte Harty are each headed for unrestricted free agency. There will also be restricted free agents to deal with including wide receiver Marquez Callaway and punter Blake Gillikin.

New Orleans knows this. The Saints have been preparing for it. They’re currently over the projected 2023 salary cap (estimated at $225 million) by more than $33 million, but they can roll over a lot of this year’s unspent $19 million to wear that down. They’ve been drafting project players early like defensive end Payton Turner and center-guard convert Cesar Ruiz in case some higher-profile talents move on. They can also restructure some contracts to get under the cap in a hurry, as they’ve done before, if they so choose. The point is that the Saints have flexibility to do what they want.

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Saints could take draft-and-develop approach with new WR coaches

The Saints haven’t addressed WR in free agency, but they’re well-equipped to draft and develop an immediate playmaker after hiring new coaches, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

When teams have positions of need that have to be addressed over the offseason, fans tend to want answers with big names in free agency. For the New Orleans Saints, many expected that would be the case when it came to filling out a diminishing wide receiver room. However, since the offseason began, Michael Thomas’s return became more evident, the team retained Deonte Harty on a restricted free agent tender, and the Saints also re-signed 2018 third-round pick Tre’Quan Smith. Despite those moves though, it’s evident that New Orleans still has work to do.

The Saints have made that apparent themselves. They were in pursuit of now-Chiefs receiver Marques Valdes-Scantling and both head coach Dennis Allen and general manager Mickey Loomis pointed out the need at the position with Loomis highlighting that there’s “work to do.” But the hopes of adding a receiver in free agency that moves the needle is deteriorating. The best players are off the board, leaving options who are either too injured, too old, or too expensive for New Orleans’ liking.

So the Saints, who could still add a veteran like Will Fuller V for the sake of a veteran presence and deep threat, may be looking a different direction: the 2022 NFL draft. Year after year, we see rookie receivers make an immediate impact for their teams fresh out of the draft. Justin Jefferson, DK Metcalf, Ja’Marr Chase, and many others continue to help their teams right off the bat. New Orleans, who have not invested much at wideout in the draft for years now, could have their eyes on their own immediate impact receiver.

They have the scouting talent to make it happen with Jeff Ireland, but they also have it within their coaching staff. This offseason, the Saints revamped some key positions on staff in adding wide receivers coach Kodi Burns and senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell, bringing two very successful track records in developing receivers.

Burns, previously with Auburn and the Tennessee Volunteers, helped to produce several drafted pass-catchers over the years. Most recently, he flipped Volunteers wideout Cedric Tillman from a quiet 67 receiving yard season in 2020 to a 1,081-yard production machine in 2021, marking the first time a Tennessee receiver reached the 1,000-yard mark since 2012. He helped Tillman cap that off with 12 receiving touchdowns as well.

After one year in Knoxville, while changing Tillman’s trajectory, Burns has helped Velus Jones Jr. raise his stock on the opposite side. Jones is expected to be drafted this season, he maybe even be a name to watch for the Saints. Burns has also helped to develop recently drafted Auburn receivers like Darius Slayton (who could be a veteran trade target), Anthony Schwartz, and Seth Williams.

Meanwhile, a quietly important hiring accompanied Burns with the addition of Bicknell. The former Bengals wide receiver coach helped turn Tyler Boyd into a fantasy football hero and assisted in the college-to-pro transition of Tee Higgins. Bicknell immediately helped Boyd achieve a massive leap in production in 2018. See for yourself:

  • 2016: 603 yards and 1 touchdown reception
  • 2017: 225 yards and  2 touchdown receptions
  • 2018 (Bicknell arrives): 1,028 yards and 7 touchdown receptions
  • 2019: 1,046 yards and  5 touchdown receptions
  • 2020: 851 yards and 4 touchdown receptions

Meanwhile Higgins, a 2020 second round pick, piled on 68 receptions, 908 yards, and 6 touchdown catches in his 2020 rookie year. Developing kind of output from a first-year receiver is exactly what the Saints would love to see in New Orleans in 2022.

Taking advantage of another deep wide receiver class should not be something New Orleans is hesitant about this season. With the natural talent at the position in today’s NFL draft classes, Burns’ ability to identify and teach the most appropriate role for a receiver’s skillset, and Bicknell’s experience turning young wideouts into 1,000-yard receivers, the team has the pieces necessary to go all-in at wide receiver in this year’s draft.

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What a multiyear Deonte Harty extension could look like with the Saints

Deonte Harty was issued a restricted free agent tender, but he can still sign an extension with the Saints. What it could look like, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

As many expected, the New Orleans Saints have not yet taken any big swings as players and teams begin to agree to terms on contracts. Instead the New Orleans Saints, who have been engaged in talks elsewhere, focused in-house by placing a second-round tender on restricted free agent (RFA) wide receiver Deonte Harty.

Now that the Saints have tendered Harty, while he can still receive offers from other interested teams, New Orleans would have the right of first refusal. With that, the team could choose to match the competing offer sheet or could allow Harty to be signed in return for a second round selection in this year’s draft.

However, what seems more likely, is that the Saints and Harty will instead work on finalizing a long-term deal that will keep the 2019 All-Pro return specialist in New Orleans for multiple years. New Orleans needs help at wide receiver, and Harty’s expanded role on offense would be an early step forward in the position’s progress. For the Saints, keeping that progression beyond a one-year tender should be of high priority.

What would a multiyear deal for Harty look like? Likely backloaded as most contracts are at this point with the Saints. Spotrac has Harty’s yearly contract value estimated at $9.8 million, well above the $3.9 million tender he was given on Monday.

If the Saints were to go that far, a possible multiyear deal could look like a two-year, $19.6 million deal or a three-year, $29.4 million deal. Because New Orleans has some leverage in this situation with the RFA tender, they could look to aim a little lower in average per-year salary. A two-year or three-year deal bringing in $6 to $8 million per year like Cedric Wilson’s reported agreement with the Dolphins, but with loftier guarantees could be the way to go.

Back in 2020, the Saints tendered Taysom Hill’s RFA contact, and worked out a two-year, $21 million deal that included $16 million in guarantees. New Orleans could look to load up a high-percentage guarantee for Harty as well. During this free agency period, wide receiver contracts have been hefty so far, and New Orleans having some leverage in this situation should help them out.

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Updated Saints wide receivers depth chart after Deonte Harty gets contract tender

The Saints wide receivers depth chart looks a lot better after Deonte Harty received a contract tender, but there is still work to do:

Our first movement from the New Orleans Saints in free agency turned out to be a clever maneuver, with the black and gold issuing a one-year contract tender to restricted free agent Deonte Harty (formerly Deonte Harris). Harty will now play for the Saints in 2022 with a salary cap hit valued at around $3.9 million — unless they work out a long-term deal with him themselves or choose to match any offers other teams put in front of him. If Harty gets a contract offer that’s too rich for New Orleans’ blood, he could leave for a new team while returning draft pick compensation to the Saints.

That feels unlikely given the strength of this rookie class at wide receiver, but you never know. We’ll focus on the here and now, in which the Saints have brought back an All-Pro returns specialist and their most dynamic pass catcher from the 2021 season. It’s a big improvement to their depth chart at wide receiver, which you can see below:

Saints tender restricted free agent Deonte Harty, could get compensation if he leaves

Saints tender restricted free agent Deonte Harty, could get compensation if he leaves

Bang: the New Orleans Saints made their move on their biggest restricted free agent, with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting that wide receiver Deonte Harty has been given a one-year contract tender valued at the second-round level. That means he’ll play on a one-year deal valued at about $3.9 million — unless another team makes him an offer that the Saints decline to match, in which case New Orleans would receive a second round draft pick as compensation.

There aren’t many downsides here from the team’s perspective. They’re keeping their big-play threat at receiver and special teams returns at a discount, with the possibility that another team could set the market for him and make a contract offer they’re willing to match. And if he does end up leaving, the second round pick New Orleans would get in return could be put towards replacing him. It’s a savvy move.

But hopefully the Saints can continue negotiating with Harty until they settle on a multiyear extension. He’s been an impressive player for them, improving year over year, and he’s exactly the sort of talent you’d like to build around. New Orleans has previously signed Taysom Hill to a long-term deal after initially tagging him, so there’s precedent here. Stay tuned for movement.

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Staff Picks: Updating 2022 Saints team needs before free agency

Staff Picks: Updating the top 2022 Saints team needs before free agency

The start of the 2022 NFL free agency cycle is almost at hand, so it’s a good opportunity to update our projected team needs for the New Orleans Saints. And this time I surveyed our staff writers here at Saints Wire for their takes on where the Saints must make moves once free agency kicks off in earnest — so here is where we want the black and gold to get to work, starting with a focus on the passing game: