Tag: Saints

4 free agents the Saints should let walk away

The Saints won’t be able to keep all of their free agents, but there are some players they should let walk away — like Tre’Quan Smith and Kwon Alexander:

It’s just the nature of the business. We all know that the New Orleans Saints won’t be able to keep all of this year’s free agents, but there are some players they should let walk away — whether they are still-underwhelming draft picks, often-injured star talents, or fan-favorites who just aren’t the best option at their position.

The NFL is often said to mean “Not For Long,” and for some players that’s just the reality of their situation. A few of these arguments are going to read like hot takes. But take the homer goggles off and check out this realistic look at where the Saints stand in free agency, and which of their players it’s time to part ways with:

Report: Saints could trade for Jimmy Garoppolo rather than re-sign Jameis Winston

Jameis Winston is the favorite to re-sign with New Orleans and start in 2022, but ESPN reports the Saints could instead trade for 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo:

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Well that’s worrying. Veteran options at quarterback are thinning out for the New Orleans Saints, and their safest bet may be another year with Jameis Winston starting under center. But they may go in another direction instead — San Francisco 49ers passer Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be traded this offseason, and New Orleans could be considering him instead of Winston. This comes from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who wrote in his post-NFL scouting combine notebook:

“The wildest rumor I heard this week? Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo potentially pairing with New Orleans. This would be a surprise since many around the league expect Jameis Winston to return to the Saints. But if Rodgers and Wilson aren’t moved, Garoppolo becomes one of the top options available. Maybe New Orleans at least kicks this idea around.”

Garoppolo is a competent quarterback, sure, but he’s the textbook definition of a passer teams win with, not because of. He’s racked up 33 wins in 47 regular season starts, and that matters to Saints head coach Dennis Allen, whose first words about what he values in a quarterback were that he wants a winner. Garoppolo is that with a career winning percentage of .702 and a 4-2 record in the playoffs.

But you’ll see the flaws in that metric if you take even a moment to glance over his resume. Garoppolo runs an efficient offense, completing 67.7% of his passes, by refusing to take risks and avoiding dangerous throws to a fault. It says a lot that he’s averaged just 188 passing yards per game in his career, and that his per-game average with the 49ers has hovered around 242. They know he can’t handle the heavy lifting.

And when the chips were down just a few years ago in Super Bowl LIV, he airmailed the game-winning touchdown pass over Emmanuel Sanders’ head to cost his team a title. He might get the Saints back to the postseason by staying out of the way, but there are going to be times when he has to make a play, and he hasn’t been able to do that with any consistency.

Then you’ve got to consider his injury history. Garoppolo has missed a ton of time with a torn ACL, two high-ankle sprains, and a sprained shoulder, and he’s currently recovering from shoulder surgery that won’t allow him to start throwing until training camp. If the Saints brought him in as their starter, he wouldn’t get a single snap with the starting until from organized team activities in May to summer workouts in June and July.

It just feels like a bad move, but it’s one Allen and the Saints may talk themselves into. They could see Garoppolo as a one-year band-aid to keep the offense afloat while a quarterback for the future, maybe Ian Book or a rookie draft pick, gets prepared to replace him. Ironically that’s exactly what Garoppolo has been doing in San Francisco with Trey Lance waiting to replace him. If the Saints are comparing Garoppolo and Winston head-to-head, his higher career winning percentage (.702 against Winston’s .428) and lower interceptions numbers (a rate of 2.7% against Winston’s 3.3%) are going to look better.

Maybe Garoppolo could be acquired for a fourth or fifth round pick in this year’s draft, given his low level of play and lengthy injury history. He’s under contract for just one more year so the Saints could walk away from the deal in 2023 to go in another direction. But if that’s the case, wouldn’t you rather sign someone like Teddy Bridgewater who plays a similar error-free, low-ceiling style of football but who won’t cost you a draft pick and may come at on a more affordable contract?

It would hurt to see Winston’s time with the Saints end like this, given the strides he made to clean up mistakes in his game and the disappointing injury that cut his season short last year. He’s worked hard to get back from knee surgery and deserves the opportunity to start again in this league. But it’s possible the Saints end up pivoting to Garoppolo should Winston go somewhere else — general manager Mickey Loomis said recently that the team views Winston as one of their options, but he wasn’t so sure a reunion with New Orleans was on Winston’s mind.

The only certainty is that there’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the Saints’ quarterback situation. We’ll see how it all develops in the weeks ahead, with teams cleared to contact free agents on March 14.

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5 free agent safeties the Saints could sign to replace Marcus Williams

There’s a good chance the Saints lose Marcus Williams in free agency. Marcus Maye, Quandre Diggs, and Justin Reid may be among their best options to replace him:

It’s looking more and more likely that one of the best New Orleans Saints free agents will test the open market — if not sign with a new team altogether. If standout free safety Marcus Williams does leave for a better opportunity, it’s going to be extremely difficult to replace him. With Friday evening’s news that Williams doesn’t anticipate spending a second year on the franchise tag, New Orleans will have to sign him to an extension to keep him in town. That’s far from certain.

Don’t say that the Saints could just sign one of the other top safeties on the market like Jessie Bates III or Tyrann Mathieu. They’ll be looking for the same market-setting contract Williams is about to get, if they aren’t franchise tagged, anyway. If the Saints aren’t about to pay $16 million per year for a known quantity in Williams, why would they do that for a completely new player who doesn’t already know their system?

And while it may be a stronger free agent market at safety than we saw a year ago, finding players who share Williams’ specific skills set is going to be tough. There just aren’t many centerfielders who can cover from one sideline to the other, tackle well, and intercept passes as often as he does. Anyone the Saints sign to replace Williams will almost certainly be a downgrade.

Still, it’s good to know which options may be available. We’ve already explored which teams may try and sign Williams themselves. If the Saints can’t cut a deal with Williams to pay him what he’s worth, these are the free agents they may have to turn to:

Report: Saints aren’t expected to use franchise tag on Marcus Williams

Report: Saints not expected to use franchise tag on free agent safety Marcus Williams for a second time

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Here’s some news ahead of free agency: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the New Orleans Saints are not expected to issue the franchise tag to standout free safety Marcus Williams before the tag deadline on March 8.

That’s big for one of the best players headed for the open market. Williams played on the tag last season, accounting for an untouchable salary cap hit north of $10.6 million. Using the tag on him again would cost New Orleans more than $12 million. Clearly that isn’t a palatable option.

It’s tough to see Williams returning to the Saints if he does reach free agency. He’s still just 25 years old and has started five full seasons in the NFL without missing many snaps. There aren’t many ballhawks like him who also fill in well against the run. Some fans have derided Williams for his errors in high-profile moments, but those stand out so badly because he’s been so effective so consistently.

What’s interesting about Fowler’s report is that he adds the Saints see a path to retaining Williams on a more cap-friendly deal; if we’re reading the tea leaves here, it may suggest the two sides aren’t far apart on a deal. Maybe Williams doesn’t see as attractive offers from other teams and ultimately sticks with New Orleans. We’ll just have to wait and see what develops when the NFL’s legal tampering period opens on March 14, with deals to be consummated on March 16.

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6 risers and fallers from WR workouts at the NFL combine

The Saints are sure to be watching wide receivers at the combine. Chris Olave and Christian Watson helped themselves, while others took a tumble, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

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The NFL scouting combine kicked off Thursday night with wide receivers, quarterbacks, and tight ends taking center stage. It was the wideout group that stole the show with blazing 40 times and impressive showings of athleticism. While some pass catchers might have driven their stock up, others could their names slip down early boards after the first night of action. Either way, the New Orleans Saints are sure to be keeping a close eye on this class, so here are seven risers and fallers among the wide receiver group

Is this the year Terron Armstead’s 40-yard dash record falls?

Is this the year Terron Armstead’s 40-yard dash record falls? How to watch offensive line drills at the NFL combine:

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This year’s crop of blockers made a strong impression during Thursday’s media availability session, and now the rookie class can go through their paces in the on-field workouts. Offensive linemen are running the 40-yard dash, broad and vertical jumps, and agility drills on Friday. You can keep up with the coverage from the NFL scouting combine on NFL Network from 3 to 10 p.m. CT.

And this just might be the year that Terron Armstead’s legendary 40-yard dash record gets knocked down a peg. The longtime New Orleans Saints left tackle put himself on the map back in 2013, when he weighed in at 306 pounds and then breezed through 40 yards in a laser-timed 4.71 seconds. It’s a historic achievement in athleticism that hasn’t been repeated since. For context, most linemen are thrilled just to clock the distance in under five seconds.

That doesn’t mean it’ll hold up forever. There are some other incredible athletes in this year’s draft, especially at offensive tackle, ranging from Alabama’s Evan Neal to North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross. Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning could also make some noise.

But that’s just the group of tackles projected to go in the first round — let’s remember that Armstead himself was just a third round pick coming out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and it took an all-time great combine performance for him to get there. Maybe someone else quite literally breaks away from the pack on Friday. We’ll be watching closely to see.

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Despite hiring co-defensive coordinators, Dennis Allen will still call the shots

Despite hiring co-defensive coordinators Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen, first-year Saints head coach Dennis Allen will still call the shots:

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Here’s some welcome clarity from Dennis Allen. The New Orleans Saints’ first-year head coach addressed one of the more curious decisions he made in building his coaching staff Friday at the NFL scouting combine, when asked about the move to name both defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen and secondary coach Kris Richard as his co-defensive coordinators.

“Both of them are qualified to do it, both of them deserve a shot to do it, and why not make them co-coordinators,” Allen told Nola.com’s Luke Johnson. He continued, “Because at the end of the day, there’s really one voice, and that’s mine.”

Allen is still going to be on the headset. He’s still going to be reviewing the game plan each week. And he’s very likely going to keep calling plays when the opposing team has possession. He’s been tremendously successful in that role, and it makes sense for him to stay at it even with a slightly shuffled organizational chart beneath him.

The key to naming Richard and Nielsen as co-defensive coordinators is the larger platform it gives both of them to help the team. They’ll be able to keep coaching up their position groups while sharing more input for the game plan and in-game decisions, even if Allen is ultimately the one making those calls. By keeping two talented assistants happy with promotions and giving them some more prominence across the league’s landscape, Allen is not only empowering those around him — he’s putting them in position to become head coaches themselves someday.

It’s rate to go from being a position coach to a head coach. Having a stop along the way as a coordinator, even if they’ve split responsibilities and didn’t call plays themselves, means a lot on a resume. Maybe it can be enough to help the Saints figure some things out while helping Nielsen and Richard advance in their careers.

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Mickey Loomis says Jameis Winston is ‘an option’ for Saints, hopes the feeling is mutual

Saints GM Mickey Loomis says Jameis Winston is ‘an option’ for New Orleans in free agency, hopes the feeling is mutual:

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Let’s add to the offseason intrigue: New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis briefly spoke with the media at the NFL scouting combine on Thursday, and we learned one really interesting nugget in regards to Jameis Winston, one of the team’s top pending free agents.

“Hopefully we can get something done with one of the guys that is available. Jameis is certainly an option for us, and hopefully we’re an option for him as well,” Loomis told Nola.com’s Luke Johnson, adding that the Saints feel an urgency to solve the quarterback riddle quickly. So interest in running it back one more time is there, from New Orleans — but does Winston feel the same way? That’s going to be a defining question of the offseason for both parties.

Unlike past years, Winston should have plenty of options this offseason. He’s arguably the best passer available with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Derek Carr, and even Kirk Cousins looking to stay put. Would a team consider trading for Jimmy Garoppolo or Carson Wentz when they could just wait a little longer and make Winston an offer the Saints can’t match in free agency?

And as Loomis observed, the ball is in Winston’s hands right now. He came to New Orleans to learn from Drew Brees and be coached by Sean Payton. With both of those mentors out of town, how much incentive will Winston have to stick with the Saints if he gets better offers from other teams? Sure, he knows the system, but there could be more money available elsewhere — and more help.

We still haven’t seen Winston start a game with Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara both at his side. They’re just as hypothetical as him teaming up with, say, Chase Claypool and Najee Harris on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Or Michael Pittman and Jonathan Taylor with the Indianapolis Colts. It isn’t a given that Winston will want to come back to New Orleans. Let’s see how it plays out.

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Saints re-sign exclusive rights free agent Juwan Johnson

The Saints re-signed tight end Juwan Johnson, another one of their exclusive rights free agents:

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Here’s a good move: the New Orleans Saints have re-signed backup tight end Juwan Johnson, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Johnson, 25, broke out for the Saints last year with 13 receptions for 159 yards and 4 touchdown catches. Not bad production for someone who worked as a wide receiver the year before, and who got on the field for just 21.7% of the team’s offensive snaps. Johnson found ways to make plays whenever he was in the game.

And bringing him back wasn’t a surprise — as an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA), the Saints could sign him to a one-year deal at a minimum salary, with rival teams barred from making him an offer. That won’t be the case next offseason, when Johnson becomes a restricted free agent, but that’s something to worry about on another day. For now, Johnson’s salary cap hit should clock in at around $895,000.

New Orleans previously re-signed another ERFA in defensive tackle Albert Huggins, and they have one more player with that designation to consider in Jalen Dalton, another defensive tackle, who missed the season with an injury.

As for the tight ends: the Saints have nearly kept their depth chart from 2021 intact, with Johnson backing up Adam Trautman and Nick Vannett while reserves Ethan Wolf and Dylan Soehner return for another shot. Another backup, Garrett Griffin, is a restricted free agent who could return at a minimum salary. Adding Johnson back to the mix helps, but he’s not goign to solve all of New Orleans’ problems at tight end. It makes sense for the Saints to consider veteran free agents like Kyle Rudolph.

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Saints would be wise to consider Andy Isabella after Cardinals grant trade request

The Saints need more receivers, and they would be wise to consider Andy Isabella after the Cardinals grant his trade request:

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This is interesting: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Andy Isabella has been granted permission to seek a trade, his agent tells the NFL Wire Network’s Henry McKenna. A second round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Isabella has been buried on Arizona’s depth chart and could really benefit from a change of scenery during a contract year. And the New Orleans Saints are, potentially, a great fit for him.

If nothing else, there should be enough competition at the position for Isabella to be worth adding for training camp. Michael Thomas and Marquez Callaway are returning from the 2021 roster. So are practice squad holdovers Easop Winston Jr., Kevin White, and Kawaan Baker. Jalen McCleskey and Kirk Merritt also signed reserve/future contracts. Isabella couldn’t make some noise in that group? Several other Saints receivers are headed for free agency — Deonte Harty, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Tre’Quan Smith, Kenny Stills, and Ty Montgomery — and it isn’t guaranteed that they re-sign with New Orleans. The Saints aren’t in a position to turn down the help.

Any team acquiring the 25-year-old will be on the hook for his $1,126,350 salary cap hit, which is easily affordable. If he can find a role and maybe crack the starting lineup in New Orleans, it looks like a steal. The Cardinals only played him in eight games last season totaling 30 snaps of offense and 24 on special teams. He caught his only target of the year to gain 13 yards and convert a first down.

There weren’t many snaps to go around behind Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins, and Rondale Moore, but Arizona didn’t do Isabella any favors by playing Antoine Wesley (a favorite of head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was brought with him from Texas Tech) ahead of him. Of that group Kirk, Green, and Wesley are headed for free agency, but it appears Isabella’s time in Arizona has run its course regardless of the changes around him.

So this is worth exploring for the Saints. Isabella wouldn’t be a high-end addition to start with Thomas, but he could improve the depth chart and compete for a roster spot in that second tier of receivers. If Isabella can be acquired for, say, a conditional seventh round pick in 2022 or 2023 it’s worth a try. You probably walk away from a higher asking price than that, though. Maybe he thrives in a better environment and you end up with a nice player gotten at a discount.

Isabella could flame out in New Orleans, too, but it’s not like the Saints have found many diamonds in the rough during the draft’s final round lately — the last four players they’ve picked in the seventh round have appeared in 34 combined games, with linebacker Kaden Elliss accounting for 31 of them. It’s a gamble either way, but fairly low stakes for NFL standards. I’d bet on a second-round talent rather than another rookie who may not be drafted at all if the Saints don’t pick them, like Baker, Tommy Stevens, Alize Mack, or their predecessors.

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