Tag: Foster Moreau

4 second-wave free agent targets for the Saints to consider

Improving depth will be key for the Saints, and there’s a lot to like in former Browns LB Anthony Walker Jr. He’s one to watch in free agency’s second week:

Few teams have as much salary cap space to work with as the New Orleans Saints do right now, which is kind of hilarious given all of the hand-wringing from national pundits and misinformed fans of other teams in recent weeks. The Saints have a plan, and they’re executing it. It’s positioned them to make more noise in free agency as the next wave of signings begins to spread across the NFL. So which free agents could be on their radar?

Now, signing any of these players will jeopardize the much-needed 2024 compensatory draft picks the Saints are projected to receive after losing so many of their own free agents in the first week of signings. But the Saints don’t often pay much mind to their comp picks (they would’ve gotten a couple of third-round picks in this year’s draft had they not signed Andy Dalton and Marcus Maye last offseason) so it shouldn’t shock anyone if they angle for immediate upgrades over long-term draft capital. For better or worse, that’s just how they do business:

Saints rank top-10 in salary cap space after free agency spending spree

Updating the New Orleans Saints salary cap outlook after their free agency spending spree; Saints have 6th-most spending room ahead of 2023 NFL draft

It’s been a busy week for the New Orleans Saints, and they’re positioned well to clean up during the next wave of free agency. The Saints signed veteran free agents like defensive tackles Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders as well as running back Jamaal Williams, who account for a combined $5.74 million against the 2023 salary cap (roughly 2.5% of the team’s spending limit). New Orleans also brought back special teams linebacker Ty Summers and signed backup right tackle Storm Norton, likely both on veteran’s minimum contracts that will have minimal salary cap impact.

That leaves the team with approximately $17.3 million to spend ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Take out the $3.2 million budgeted for their rookie draft class and New Orleans is left with more than $14.2 million in cap space, which ranks sixth-best around the league. They’ll be able to make competitive offers for free agents like tight end Foster Moreau, who visited the team on Saturday after meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals (who have $16.4 million in effective cap space, accounting for their draft class). Let’s see what general manager Mickey Loomis and his front office personnel do with these resources.

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Bengals free agency target Foster Moreau to visit Saints

Foster Moreau left Cincinnati without a deal.

The Cincinnati Bengals hosted free agent tight end Foster Moreau on a visit this week.

But unlike safety Nick Scott, who signed with the team late Friday night, Moreau seems to have left town without a deal.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Moreau has decided to continue his free agency by taking a visit with the New Orleans Saints.

The report points out the LSU connection there (don’t forget former Raiders QB Derek Carr is there too), though that same LSU connection is why the Bengals made a ton of sense too — Moreau played college ball with Joe Burrow.

Not only that, the Bengals don’t currently have a tight end on the depth chart and it continues to look like one of the positions they’ll spend enough to add a starter at soon, plus attack as early as the first round.

Moreau, a good pass-catcher and blocker, could easily fit as the No. 1 tight end in Cincinnati. We’ll see if this visit is a leverage play or something else soon.

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Saints host former LSU, Raiders tight end Foster Moreau on a free agent visit

The Saints hosted former LSU and Raiders tight end Foster Moreau on a free agent visit, per ESPN’s Field Yates. He previously met with the Bengals:

We’ll be filing this one under “Made too much to not happen.” The New Orleans Saints made contact with former LSU Tigers and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Foster Moreau on Saturday, who made a formal free agent visit to the team facility in Metairie per ESPN’s Field Yates. Saints college scouting director Jeff Ireland was a fan of his coming out of Baton Rouge, and Moreau was a favorite target of Derek Carr with the Raiders — he averaged 2.6 and 3.6 targets per game the last two years.

This doesn’t mean that a signing is imminent, but it would make a lot of sense. Moreau is a competent blocker who could push Adam Trautman down into a role more focused on what he does best (paving the way on run plays) while complementing Juwan Johnson as the lead tight end. Having Johnson handle the lion’s share of receiving duties while Moreau chips in as both a receiver and blocker, being more of an all-around player, could be a nice addition to the offense.

We’ll see if anything develops on this front. Moreau previously met with the Cincinnati Bengals and his free agent tour may not be over yet. The Saints positioned well to make a competitive offer with more than $16 million in salary cap space, but the role envisioned for him needs to match what they’re willing to invest in the position after inking Johnson to a two-year extension.

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Bengals host free agent TE Foster Moreau on visit

A new name to watch for the Bengals in free agency.

The Cincinnati Bengals have started to get active at the tight end position in free agency.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Bengals hosted free agent tight end Foster Moreau on a visit.

Moreau, a fourth-round pick in 2019, found himself stuck behind Darren Waller in Las Vegas and, over four seasons, didn’t put up major numbers after scoring five touchdowns as a rookie. In that 2019 draft, the Bengals took guard Michael Jordan one spot before Moreau came off the board.

Still, he’s a 6’4″ weapon who is versatile in the way he can find soft spots in defenses and as a blocker and averages 12.2 yards per catch for his career.

Only turning 26 in May, Moreau is one of those Hayden Hurst-type fits who could settle for a short deal and actually provide an upgrade for the offense while experiencing a breakout.

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4-Down Territory: 2023 NFL free agency edition!

In this week’s episode of 4-Down Territory, Doug Farrar and Kyle Madson get into the details of free agency, and answer all the questions.

Now that the NFL’s legal tampering period has begun, it’s time for 4 Down Territory’s hosts Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, and Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar to discuss a couple of hot topics, including:

00:00 – Is this gamesmanship, or does it rise to the level of collusion against Lamar Jackson?

05:29 – Which hypothetical player/team pairing would you find most intriguing, and why?

09:18 – Which free agent’s loss would be felt most keenly by its old team?

13:36 – Name of one under-the-radar free agent who could have a massive effect on his next team?

You can watch this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory” right here!

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4 players the Saints should pursue in the second wave of free agency

Veteran DT Shelby Harris and RB James Robinson are some of the players the Saints should pursue in the second wave of free agency:

The New Orleans Saints already made their splash in the first wave of free agency by signing quarterback Derek Carr last week, so they opted to stand pat and focus on getting their books in order with more contract restructures and a pay cut for Jameis Winston while other teams around the league threw money around (with some of it luring the Saints’ own free agents away).

So where do they go from here? The Saints have some obvious needs to address at defensive tackle and running back, but they could be looking to get deeper at other position groups, too. One consideration for them is the 2024 compensatory draft picks formula — right now, New Orleans is projected to receive the maximum four comp picks in next year’s draft with extra selections in rounds four and six.

So they need to be careful not to jeopardize those assets in signing new players. Here are some names we’re watching closely:

4 TEs the Dolphins should consider signing in free agency

Miami is set to lose their top tight end.

Entering the 2023 offseason, the Miami Dolphins have already moved on from one of their tight ends, releasing Cethan Carter to save cap space before the start of the league year.

Mike Gesicki is also set to hit the market on March 15, leaving an opening for Miami’s top spot on the roster. While Durham Smythe technically outsnapped Gesicki in 2022, he clearly isn’t as talented as the Penn State product.

With that said, the Dolphins may opt to scour the free agent market for a veteran tight end to fill the hole left by Gesicki in 2023 and beyond. Here are a few names they could look at:

4 free-agent TEs the Panthers should consider signing

As far as finding a TE this offseason, the draft is where it’s really at. But if the Panthers decide to dip into the open market, here are four free agents who are worth a look.

Over the last three seasons, all Carolina Panthers tight ends have combined for 1,073 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Yes, all tight ends over three seasons.

By comparison, Travis Kelce—by his lonesome in 2022—recorded 1,338 yards and 12 scores. So, uh, yeah . . . the Panthers need some help.

And honestly, they shouldn’t really be looking for tight end help through free agency, especially with the upcoming draft being so rich at the position. But if they are gauging the open market, here are four players they should consider.

5 free-agent TEs the Colts could consider in 2023

Here’s a look at five free-agent TEs the Colts could consider.

The Indianapolis Colts will enter free agency next week looking to add some depth to positions across the roster.

While there are far more pressing needs than the tight end position, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts wanted to add some depth in the form of a blocking tight end.

With Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson and Alec Ogletree making up the room, the tight end position for the Colts is solid. But they’ve missed that blocking tight end in the run game since Jack Doyle retired.

Here’s a look at five free-agent tight ends the Colts could target in free agency: