Tag: Isaac Yiadom

Bleacher Report’s mock draft has a disastrous pick for the Saints

The Saints made a disastrous pick in Bleacher Report’s new mock draft, bypassing all of their biggest needs. It’s a bad move even if he’s a great player:

It’s finally here: April brings us to the final stretch before the 2024 NFL draft, and mock drafts are picking up. Some of them are keying in on the New Orleans Saints’ top team needs and draft-day priorities. Others are exploring different scenarios with picks that may seem like a luxury, at best, or a crippling mistake, at worst.

This projection from Bleacher Report’s scouting department falls closer to the lower end of the spectrum. B/R/ has the New Orleans Saints bypassing their worst vulnerabilities along the offensive line, defensive end, and at the skills positions to splurge on a new cornerback. Alabama star Terrion Arnold is a great player, but he wouldn’t solve many of the Saints’ biggest problems. We’ll let B/R’s team explain why they went with this pick.

“Arnold is a versatile cornerback with a high football IQ to play in multiple schemes. When Lattimore went on injured reserve in the middle of the season, it showed the lack of depth in the Saints’ cornerback room,” wrote B/R scout Cory Giddings, referring to games in which the Saints allowed 168, 205, 99, and 133 passing yards without Lattimore. He added, “Arnold would also be in line to become CB1 before his rookie contract expires.”

The Los Angeles Rams got the better of New Orleans while throwing for 325 yards, but a top-10 passing offense is going to beat a top-10 passing defense almost every time. The Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons in blowout victories to close out the season in which they were forced to throw more often, accumulating 292 and 311 passing yards but scoring just 13 and 17 points, respectively. New Orleans’ secondary intercepted the Bucs and Falcons twice in each of those games.

A big part of the Saints’ thinking in making Lattimore available for trade was how well their secondary performed without him. Obviously the situation is different now; rumors suggest Lattimore is likely to return for 2024, and the poor trade market for veteran corners means the Saints would be moving him at a loss. They’re a better team with him on the roster, so it doesn’t make sense to trade him or draft his replacement in the first round.

Some players who have been popular picks for the Saints didn’t make it to the 14th overall pick. Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu was snapped up one spot ahead, by the Las Vegas Raiders, with B/R arguing he should learn a new position at right tackle. Alabama right tackle JC Latham, Arnold’s college teammate, was taken a few spots earlier after the Los Angeles Chargers traded out of the top-10.

But others who would make more sense for New Orleans than Arnold were still on the board: guys like Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu (who went to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 16) and Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga (to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 18). To say nothing of UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu, who the Saints have shown plenty of interest in during the pre-draft process.

This isn’t a knock on Arnold. He’s going to be a great pro for some team. If the Saints can make more moves ahead of the draft to reinforce their offensive line with competition for James Hurst at left guard and a better backup plan for Ryan Ramczyk at right tackle, then they could justify the luxury of investing in a high-end cornerback. Paulson Adebo will be a free agent in 2025 and it’s still possible a team makes a strong trade offer for Lattimore later this summer. They should add a corner at some point after losing Isaac Yiadom, Lattimore’s top backup, to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. But the way things stand right now, targeting Arnold in the first round is a luxury they can’t afford.

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Saints enter the mix for a 2025 comp pick thanks to Isaac Yiadom

The Saints entered the mix for a 2025 compensatory draft pick thanks to Isaac Yiadom. But they haven’t locked it in just yet:

The New Orelans Saints could be in play for a 2025 compensatory draft selection after the San Francisco 49ers signed away cornerback Isaac Yiadom this offseason according to OverTheCap’s Nick Korte.

After being a career journeyman that had not found much time on the field in the past few years, Yiadom found a resurgence in New Orleans. Once Marshon Lattimore went down with a midseason injury, Yiadom was called on to pick up the slack and he did more than just be a replacement-level player. He was very solid this year with the Saints and earned a bigger contract in San Francisco, reportedly worth $3 million.

The Saints currently own their first six draft picks in 2025. Their own seventh round draft selection was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade. Adding a seventh-round compensatory pick would essentially bring things back to default for New Orleans. With more free agents still out there it remains to be seen whether the Saints will earn a comp pick or outweigh it by signing more players.

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Saints lose cornerback Isaac Yiadom to the 49ers

This is a big hit. The Saints are losing free agent cornerback Isaac Yiadom to the 49ers after his impressive year coming in off the bench:

The New Orleans Saints are losing key depth in free agency, particularly on defense. Cornerback Isaac Yiadom has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, per his agent AJ Vaynerchuk, after also being heavily pursued by the Washington Commanders.

Yiadom played a lot of valuable snaps for the Saints last year in relief of starting corners Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo when they missed time with injuries; he was credited with 14 pass breakups, which were hard for other teams around the league to ignore. Good on him for cashing in.

But this is a problem for New Orleans. If the team had planned on trading Lattimore this offseason then Yiadom would have been next in line for a heavier workload. Even if Lattimore is in the plans (and he should be), Yiadom was a competent backup who they could lean on if needed. They’ll need to find a good replacement.

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Projected market value for Saints’ top pending free agents

Here’s a quick look at projected market value for some of the New Orleans Saints’ top pending free agents, including complicated cases like Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston:

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of free agency, and the New Orleans Saints have a couple of players who could hit the open market — including several starters and some ascending backups hoping for larger roles in 2024.

But could the Saints get priced out of their services? Different outlets have projected market values for some of New Orleans’ pending free agents, so let’s take a look at the numbers from Pro Football Focus, Spotrac, and Over The Cap:

4 free agents the Saints should re-sign this offseason

The New Orleans Saints don’t have many high-profile free agents, but they should make an effort to keep these four players:

The New Orleans Saints don’t have a lot of big-name free agents this year, but the Saints do have a few names that are worth saving. Head coach Dennis Allen is aware of what’s at stake for him this year and should understand there are some holes you can’t go into the season hoping will fill themselves.

Because they were so proactive last summer signing players to early extensions, the Saints also showed better depth than they have in previous years, especially on defense. Injuries are going to happen in the NFL, and the Saints weathered that storm in 2023. This is a quality they should look to repeat next season by keeping some depth pieces in free agency.

These are four players the Saints should re-sign:

Saints don’t have any players in PFF’s top-100 free agents rankings

The Saints don’t have any players in PFF’s top-100 free agents rankings. Expect most of their starting lineup to return for 2024:

Don’t look for the New Orleans Saints to lose many key players in free agency this year. They’ve done a good job of pre-emptively signing players to extension ahead of time; last summer they inked deals with starters who would have hit free agency in 2024 like right guard Cesar Ruiz, defensive ends Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson, as well as long snapper Zach Wood.

That means only a handful of household names are headed for the open market this offseason. And when you consider the landscape of free agency, there are plenty of players who are seen as better options. Pro Football Focus analysts compiled a top-150 list of the best pending free agents, and there wasn’t a single Saints player in the top-100.

New Orleans was represented by just two names: wide receiver Michael Thomas at No. 115 and quarterback Jameis Winston at No. 130. Both players are technically under contract for 2024, but the Saints must decide whether to extend or release them by March or accept severe salary cap penalties, so for all intents and purposes they’re part of the free agent class.

Thomas was ranked 13th among 17 wide receivers in the top 150, while Winston was slotted in at sixth in the six-man free agent quarterbacks class. Neither of them are projected to land big deals in free agency, either, with PFF projecting one-year deals worth $8 million (for Thomas) and $4 million (for Winston). That’s very manageable not just for interested teams but for the Saints to match if they so choose.

Now, this isn’t to say the Saints won’t lose some players they’d like to have back. Andrus Peat might be a must-sign free agent at left tackle. Guys like linebacker Zack Baun, defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, and cornerback Isaac Yiadom might have better opportunities to get on the field elsewhere. But as far as the starting lineups on both sides of the ball are concerned, there’s going to be a lot of continuity carrying over into 2024.

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6 biggest surprises from the Saints’ 2023 season

The 6 biggest surprises from the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 season:

The New Orleans Saints did not have the season that fans wanted in 2023, but that doesn’t mean that it was all bad. Among the disappointing finish were a few players that outperformed their expectations and gave fans something to look forward to in the future.

Here are six names that we felt pleasantly surprised with their play:

Saints free agents: Ranking the 10 most important players to re-sign

We ranked the top 10 New Orleans Saints free agents who must be re-signed for the 2024 season:

How can the New Orleans Saints end their playoffs drought? There aren’t many key players headed for free agency in the spring, with just one of their pending free agents having played more than 50% of his snaps in 2023: offensive lineman Andrus Peat.

But the rest of their class is lukewarm, without many heavy contributors headed for the open market. So while retaining talent is going to be a concern in the spring, this free agency cycle is going to be more about acquiring upgrades (once the Saints get under the salary cap, of course). New Orleans doesn’t have to prioritize their own players as heavily as in years past.

Still, there are some players going into free agency that we’d like to have back. Here are the top 10 pending Saints free agents, ranked by how important it is for New Orleans to re-sign them:

Marshon Lattimore’s unique contract restructure makes a trade more likely

Marshon Lattimore’s unique contract restructure makes a trade more likely, or at least easier on the salary cap:

Has Marshon Lattimore already played his last game as a member of the New Orleans Saints? When he’s healthy and locked in, Lattimore is the best player on the field, shutting down the league’s best receivers and making game-changing plays. But an unusual contract restructure has made a trade more likely this offseason, or at least more acceptable for the Saints’ accountants.

Thanks to good reporting from NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, we have a better understanding of this unique restructure. The majority of restructures that the Saints and other teams carry out are simple conversions of base salary to signing bonus, which makes it tougher to get out of those contracts.

In this case, Underhill reports, the Saints converted most of Lattimore’s salary to an option bonus that will be paid out a week before the 2024 season kicks off — and be paid by his new team, not New Orleans, in the event of a trade.

This restructure reduced his salary cap hit from $25.6 million to $14.6 million. If Lattimore is traded before June 1 (opening the door for compensation in 2024 draft picks), the Saints would have to pay more than $30.4 million in dead money while he’s playing for another team. If the draft pick compensation is strong enough it might make sense.

But if they wait until June 2, they would only pay $13.4 million in dead money in 2024 and roughly $20.8 million in 2025. That’s much easier to work with. The Saints carried a combined $21.7 million in dead money for David Onyemata, Marcus Davenport, and Malcolm Jenkins this year.

That’s still a lot of money, and it would mean the Saints are not getting any picks back in the 2024 draft (which is the main concern here). But if the Saints want to extend Paulson Adebo’s contract long-term and either ride with Isaac Yiadom or move Alontae Taylor back outside, there are enough positives — from the Saints’ point of view — to trading Lattimore. If Lattimore wants out, it’s a big positive for him, too.

So this doesn’t mean a trade is going to happen. Lattimore has not requested a trade and the Saints are not even allowed to talk with other teams about a trade until the offseason. And it takes two to tango. Lattimore is a rare talent but he’s got an injury history and it’s uncertain how much an acquiring team would be willing to spend to get him before even paying him themselves. But none of this happened accidentally. If Lattimore and the Saints are headed for a split, this is going to be the first real step.

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8 pending free agents who may be playing their final games with the Saints

Whether it’s due to age, contract status, or other factors, these 8 pending free agents may be playing their final games with the Saints:

There are just a few weeks left in the 2023 season, meaning some New Orleans Saints players are going to be playing their final games in black and gold. A few of them already have. Free agency is looming off on the horizon in March and the Saints are going to have to make some tough decisions given their difficult salary cap outlook.

Some players have really helped themselves by stepping up when their number was called. Others are poised to move on in free agency and seek better opportunities. And a few are aging out and likely headed for their next chapter in pro football.

Here are the players we’re watching closely in the final weeks of the 2023 season: