Tag: Isaac Yiadom

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:

Dennis Allen is doing Alontae Taylor a disservice with failed slot experiment

Alontae Taylor has allowed more catches and yards from the slot than anyone else in the NFL. Dennis Allen deserves some blame for not better preparing him for a new position:

Did you notice that Alontae Taylor was benched last week against the Los Angeles Rams? It was gnarly. The New Orleans Saints’ second-year cornerback was torched in coverage and beaten badly with the Rams’ pre-snap motion on some big gains on the ground, prompting head coach Dennis Allen to bench him. Veteran safety Ugo Amadi, who played ahead of Taylor on the depth chart all summer, finished the game in his place.

Everyone got their licks in. Per Pro Football Focus charting, pass-catching Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (3 receptions for 30 yards), slot receiver Cooper Kupp (2 receptions for 19 yards, both first downs), and rookie receiver Puka Nacua (1 catch for 41 yards) each made plays with Taylor in coverage before Allen pulled him from the game.

And Taylor wasn’t happy; team leaders like Tyrann Mathieu had to cool him down on the sideline, and he’s doing the best he can to learn from the experience, telling NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett that he’ll return to the starting lineup on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But his first year playing the slot has been full of tough learning experiences. When covering the slot, Taylor leads the NFL in targets (90), receptions (60), and yards allowed (549). He’s charged with yielding four touchdown catches, which is tied for third-most. No other player has drawn more than 65 targets or given up more yards.

He’s visibly struggling in the transition. And Allen has to shoulder much of the blame here. As a former defensive backs coach who spends a lot of hands-on time with the secondary, he hasn’t done a good enough job preparing Taylor for this job.

Taylor didn’t get enough quality reps in over the summer to be thrust into the position; he was consistently playing behind Bradley Roby and Amadi on the third-string defense through minicamp, training camp, and preseason before Roby was a surprise roster cut in August, which sent Taylor rocketing to the top of the depth chart before he was ready for it. Rookie cornerback Adrian Frye, who wasn’t brought back after roster cuts, played twice as many snaps in the slot (42) as Taylor did (21) across three preseason games.

He just hasn’t had the reps. Look at the number of snaps Taylor has played in the slot in college at Tennessee and in the NFL with the Saints:

  • 2018 (college): 2
  • 2019 (college): 21
  • 2020 (college): 6
  • 2021 (college): 15
  • 2022 preseason: 0
  • 2022 regular season: 22
  • 2023 preseason: 21
  • 2023 regular season: 666

It’s easy to understand why Allen wanted Taylor in this role. He’s getting one of his most energetic and athletic defenders on the field by any means necessary. Taylor couldn’t dislodge Paulson Adebo from the outside corner spot in camp, opposite Marshon Lattimore, leaving only the slot for him when everyone is healthy. And Isaac Yiadom has played so well in Lattimore’s place that it’s debatable whether Taylor would be an upgrade there.

But it’s hard enough to pick up the pro game and adjust to the speed of your competition in your second year in the league in any circumstances. Doing so while picking up a totally new position is exceedingly difficult. That the Saints didn’t adequately prepare Taylor for the challenges in front of him is an outright disservice to the player. There are just two games left in the regular season. It’s possible Taylor could spend his offseason reviewing the tape and putting all of his time and effort into fully learning his new position. But as has often been the case with Allen running this team, that’s coming a day late and leaving the Saints a dollar short.

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Stout defense, Derek Carr’s best game with Saints knocks down the Giants

A stout defense and Derek Carr’s best game in a Saints uniform combined to knock down the Giants:

This is what New Orleans Saints games are supposed to look like. A combination of a stout defense and Derek Carr’s best game in a black and gold uniform knocked down the New York Giants on Sunday by a margin of 24-6. This is their vision for a victory. It’s why they pursued Carr and retained Dennis Allen as head coach to cultivate an elite defense. And on Sunday that vision became reality.

New York gained just 60 rushing yards as a team with star running back Saquon Barkley limited to 14 yards on 9 carries; rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito is known for his rushing ability but he was contained to 36 yards on 4 attempts, actually losing more yards (57) to 7 sacks than he gained as a runner.

And DeVito didn’t have many answers for the ferocious Saints defense. New Orleans pressured him early and often on his 34 pass attempts. Five different defenders hit him at different points through the game, with veteran defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon stepping up in particular. Kpasagnon finished the day with 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hits, plus 6 tackles (3 solo, 3 tackles for loss). Cornerbacks Isaac Yiadom and Paulson Adebo combined for 4 pass breakups.

Let’s talk about Carr. He’s earned a lot of criticism this season for poor play, but he did his job well on Sunday. Carr completed 23 of 28 passes (82.1%) for 218 yards, throwing 3 touchdown passes for the first time in a Saints uniform. He didn’t turn the ball over, he navigated pressure well, and he spread the ball around efficiently. 10 different players caught a pass in this game, and 7 of them caught multiple receptions from Carr. It was really impressive to see with Chris Olave out of the lineup.

So where do they go next? The Saints must take their show on the road and visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night before flying cross-country for another road game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, the regular season finale at home against the Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans doesn’t control its own destiny, but positive games like this one are going to be big as they go down the stretch.

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Tommy DeVito clears concussion protocol, returns for Saints vs. Giants

Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito cleared concussion protocol to return to action against the Saints after hitting his head hard on the turf:

There haven’t been many stories bigger in the last week’s NFL news cycle than Tommy DeVito, the New York Giants rookie quarterback who endeared himself quickly to fans during what looked like a lost season.

So it’s understandable that many were waiting with bated breath when DeVito hit his head hard on the turf and left Sunday’s game with the New Orleans Saints to enter concussion protocol. DeVito scrambled and slid to the ground but was hit by Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom at the top of his slide; it was a clean hit by Yiadom, who was not fouled, but the whiplash from it sent DeVito’s head into the turf for what looked like a painful ricochet.

DeVito exited the game and headed to the locker room before halftime for further evaluation by the league’s independent neurological examiner. Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor stepped in to close out that end-of-half drive and returned to handle the Giants’ next possession after the halftime break, going 2-for-4 for just 13 yards.

But DeVito cleared protocol and returned in the third quarter. He’ll need to make some plays with his Giants facing a manageable deficit, but the Saints defense is already firing on all cylinders with 4 sacks for a loss of 35 yards against the rookie standout.

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What we’re thankful for during the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 season

What we’re grateful for during the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 season

Thanksgiving is a time for expressing gratitude for the blessings in our lives — things that bring us joy which shouldn’t be taken for granted. And the New Orleans Saints have given fans some things to be thankful for even in a frustrating 2023 season. Whether it’s young standout players or position groups that have carried the team to some much-needed wins, here are our staff picks for the things we’re grateful for about the Saints this year: