Report Card – Syndication Server

2024 Saints free agent report cards: Was letting Malcolm Roach go a big loss?

Taking a look back at the 2024 offseason, was letting Malcolm Roach go a big loss? Here’s the New Orleans Saints report card grade for this free agent decision:

The NFL offseason is nearly upon us, as the only thing standing in the way between teams and beginning their roster management is the Super Bowl, held in New Orleans. This gives us a little bit of time to look back in retrospect and cover the New Orleans Saints free agent signings from 2024, but also take a look at those players they let walk.

One of the more intriguing players they let go was defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, who was an exceptional run defender with them, but they chose not to pay and he would move on to the Denver Broncos. Here is how things have played out for his career so far:

Free agent contract

Given the price tags on some of the premier defensive line talents across the league in recent years, Roach signed for a pretty good contract all things considered. He is on a two-year $7 million deal, $3 million of which was guaranteed at signing, and the remainder will come in the form of bonuses and incentives.

He was able to hit one of his performance incentives in 2024, playing more than 40% of snaps which gave him an extra $250,000 this year as well.

Snap counts

The snap counts for Malcolm Roach have been extremely consistent throughout his career, as he is predominantly a run defending rotational defensive tackle who gets on the field in late down scenarios. Here are his snap rates by season, only including games he played in:

2020: 37% (233)
2021: 42% (193)
2022: 37% (315)
2023: 37% (290)
2024: 42% (489)

2024 season review

2024 was a strong season for Roach, as he would accrue his highest snap total of his career, while also posting career highs in total tackles (43), tackles for loss (5), forced fumbles & fumble recoveries (1 each), sacks (2.5), and QB hits (8). Funny enough, he actually had one pass come his way as the closest defender, and it was an incompletion 13 yards down the field, pretty impressive. Overall a good year for the former Saints undrafted free agent.

Report card grade

Grading this loss is relatively easy. The Saints lost a run-stopping defensive tackle who had the best year of his career, while they had one of the worst run defenses in the early half of the year and never fully recovered. Roach was a player that in retrospect they absolutely should have retained, and especially so at the price tag he received.

Saints grade for allowing the departure: D-

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2024 Saints free agent report cards: Was Willie Gay a good signing?

With the 2024 season over, we have a chance to look at how the Saints’ offseason signings panned out. Was LB Willie Gay Jr. a good signing?

The NFL is nearing its offseason once again, and with that, teams will be vying for the top free agents on the market once again. With a somewhat underwhelming 2024 offseason for the New Orleans Saints, they only made a few signings that could have been viewed as true impact players.

One of the more notable signings they made at the time was linebacker Willie Gay Jr. who was set to compete with Pete Werner for the second LB spot. Ultimately this signing became less notable than anticipated, so let’s get into why that was the case:

Free agent contract

Gay Jr’s contract was relatively simple in terms of Saints contract, with a one-year, $3 million deal with $1.8 million set up as base salary and the remaining $1.2 million were a prorated signing bonus. There is no additional void years or cap hits beyond 2024, which is good considering the Saints current cap situation.

Snap counts

Willie Gay Jr. has had a relatively consistent snap count ever since his rookie year in 2020, however in 2024 he struggled to maintain a consistent number of snaps due to Pete Werner retaining the second linebacker spot. Here are his snap rates for each season, only including games he played in:

2020: 25% (267)
2021: 57% (437)
2022: 69% (608)
2023: 62% (624)
2024: 27% (277)

2024 season review

As you can see from the snap counts, it was an extremely limited year for Gay Jr. as he was pushed down the depth chart by Demario Davis and Pete Werner, which ultimately only left a little bit of playing time left. In his 277 snaps, he had 28 total tackles (19 solo, 9 assisted), 2 tackles for loss, 3 pass deflections, and 2 fumble recoveries with 1 being forced by him.

Ultimately it was a tough year for him, as he really never got going the way he had in previous seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. While he was good to come on for depth, he was not particularly a valuable signing.

Report card grade

Overall, this signing was one that the Saints likely don’t regret given it was on a cheap and short contract with nothing to lose. However, the lack of production and taking up a roster spot that could have been used for someone younger is tough no doubt.

It is one of those signings that many forgot happened throughout the course of the year, and those who didn’t were left wanting more.

Signing grade: C-

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Saints say poor NFLPA report card didn’t spark cafeteria renovations

Saints team president Dennis Lauscha said a poor NFLPA report card didn’t spark major cafeteria renovations. It’s a move that’s been years in the making:

It doesn’t sound like the New Orleans Saints’ leadership team was surprised to receive a poor grade on their team’s food options, but that doesn’t mean recent NFL Players Association report cards prompted extensive renovations to the cafeteria. The Saints were graded with an F in both 2023 and 2022 for their food/cafeteria offerings. So it’s easy to speculate that ongoing cafeteria construction (which is sending the team’s 2024 training camp to California) could be a response to that performance.

Team president Dennis Lauscha tackled that topic in a recent press conference with local media, in his opening statement: “And the truth of the matter is, I’ll cut through it all: We’re doing this because we want to have the best facilities in the National Football League.”

Lauscha described a series of phases to renovations that began with the locker room, training room, meeting rooms, and other areas in the team headquarters like the draft room. Now it’s time to work on the cafeteria and indoor practice facility. So when did those plans first come into motion?

“2019, we started planning for the cafeteria,” said Maureen Clary, a consultant and broker associate with Corporate Realty, an agency that Saints owner Gayle Benson purchased back in 2021.

Saints chief financial officer Ed Lang chimed in: “I have a full set of plans up in my office, literally the full set that’s dated April of 2020. So those were finished in April 2020. That was COVID. We were actually going to start this project a lot earlier, and then COVID hit.”

“We couldn’t get the steel for it,” Lauscha added, with Clary explaining that the pandemic’s logistical hurdles limited access to both raw materials and complex equipment like power transformers. He continued, “It’s coming together now. I mean this with an abundance of respect for any grade that’s out there, but this definitely isn’t why we’re doing what we’re doing here. We really do want to have the best facility that we can. Even when that grade came out, if we said let’s start then, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

It’s an ambitious plan. The Saints are increasing the cafeteria from 6,000 square feet to 14,000, with the kitchen scaling up from just 1,000 square feet to 4,000. They’re placing an emphasis on fresh food storage and new amenities like carving stations, smoothie bars, and a DEXA body scan (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) to help players track their body fat content as part of the nutrition program.

On top of that, the Saints are expanding the dining area to include outdoor seating and an overlook to the indoor practice facility. Work is expected to be finished by November, though Lauscha is hopeful to have everything in its place by September. Either way, the Saints plan on returning to New Orleans for their 2025 training camp.

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Saints free agent report card: Was Johnathan Abram a good veteran signing?

The New Orleans Saints defense had an up-and-down season in 2023, but they found some smooth sailing in the latter half of the season. A lot of that had to do with some veterans stepping up and performing well

One of the players that broke out in the second half of the season was veteran safety Johnathan Abram, who spent the first half of the year on the practice squad.

To wrap up the series for last season’s most impactful free agent signings (we previously discussed Foster Moreau, Jamaal Williams, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders), here is Abram’s 2023 report card:

Saints free agent report card: Was Khalen Saunders a good defensive signing?

Our next New Orleans Saints free agent report card: Was Khalen Saunders a good defensive signing from the Kansas City Chiefs?

The New Orleans Saints retooled their defensive line last season, replacing most of the players that were roster in 2022. They lost Shy Tuttle and David Onyemata to big contracts within the NFC South with other players leaving the rotation like Kentavius Street, but were they able to replace them with some other nice players on the inside.

One of the players they brought in was former Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Khalen Saunders. Saunders became an immediate fan favorite due to his athletic ceiling made apparent by his viral front-flip ability.

It’s time for the next free agency report card as we keep this series going and evaluate his first season in black and gold, just as we did with fellow defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd. Here’s Saunders’ 2023 report card:

Saints free agent report card: Was Nathan Shepherd a good veteran signing?

Our next New Orleans Saints 2023 free agent report card: Was Nathan Shepherd a good veteran signing at defensive tackle?

Few positions looked as different last season compared to the year before as the New Orleans Saints’ defensive tackles. With their position coach leaving for a promotion, the Saints allowed the entire group to test free agency while bringing in veteran replacements and spending their top draft pick on a new centerpiece.

So how did they perform individually? We’re keeping our 2023 Saints free agent report card series going after reviewing Foster Moreau and Jamaal Williams. Which leads us to the next question: was Nathan Shepherd a good veteran signing at defensive tackle?

Saints free agent report card: Was Foster Moreau a good veteran signing?

Our New Orleans Saints free agent report card series continues with Foster Moreau. Was signing the veteran tight end a good move?

There weren’t many outside observers expecting the New Orleans Saints to be active in free agency last season, but they were able to add veterans at positions of need like Foster Moreau.

And it made a lot of sense to sign him: Moreau was a favorite target of Derek Carr’s when they were together on the Las Vegas Raiders, he added some much-needed experience to the tight end position, and he was popular among fans as a New Orleans local who played college football at LSU.

But that’s all behind us now. It’s time to keep this series going and evaluate his first season in black and gold, just as we did with running back Jamaal Williams. Here’s Moreau’s 2023 report card:

Saints free agent report card: Was Jamaal Williams a good veteran signing?

We’re kicking off our New Orleans Saints free agent report cards with Jamaal Williams. The veteran running back didn’t meet expectations in 2023:

We’re kicking off our New Orleans Saints free agent report cards with Jamaal Williams. The veteran running back didn’t meet expectations in 2023 after being heralded as an ideal tag-team partner for Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill. Here’s a look back at his first season in New Orleans, his contract status, and what’s next for him:

Colts report card: Grading each position from 2023

Grading each position for the Colts in 2023.

The Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for a pivotal offseason in 2024 as they look to build on some impressive success in the first year under head coach Shane Steichen.

Though the 2023 season didn’t go as planned in terms of making the playoffs, there were still some developments that should bring optimism moving forward for the franchise.

Now, we’re going to grade each position for the Colts after the 2023 campaign as they prepare for a decisive offseason:

Saints report card: Grading every position from 2023

New Orleans Saints report card: Grading every position group from 2023, from Derek Carr at quarterback to the offensive line and cornerbacks

Which position groups held the New Orleans Saints back in 2023? Which ones carried the team? Those are the questions we set out to answer in our 2023 report card by evaluating every position on the team from quarterback to cornerback and everywhere in-between.

Here’s how we graded all of them: