4 potential Saints salary cap casualties for the 2020 offseason

New Orleans Saints veterans like Janoris Jenkins, Patrick Robinson, Nick Easton, and Mario Edwards could be salary cap casualties in 2020.

There’s no getting around it: the 2020 offseason will be difficult for the New Orleans Saints. They must navigate contract decisions with a number of important free agents, including all three quarterbacks (Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater will be unrestricted free agents, while Taysom Hill is designated with restricted status). With the 2020 salary cap expected to settle somewhere around $200 million, the Saints will have between $16 and $20 million to spend. That won’t be enough to keep everyone.

Some restructures should be expected; it’s a staple of the playbook built by Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and salary cap specialist Khai Hartley. But they’ll also have to consider cutting veteran players to curb costs. Here are four potential Saints salary cap casualties.

Janoris Jenkins

Potential savings: $11.25 million

The Saints claimed Jenkins off of waivers in December, inheriting the final year of his New York Giants contract in the process. That agreement carries with it a 2020 salary cap hit of $11.25 million, none of which is guaranteed — yet. Jenkins will be due a $1 million roster bonus on March 16, which would be fully-guaranteed. So the Saints could theoretically release Jenkins before that date and leave no dead money behind; doing so afterwards would leave $1 million in dead money.

That said, cutting Jenkins doesn’t make sense, but it could benefit him and the Saints to add a year or two onto his current deal to spread out the salary cap hits. He played so well in his two starts for New Orleans (ending the Week 17 game Carolina Panthers with an interception, and erasing Stefon Diggs in the the wild-card loss to the Minnesota Vikings) that he should definitely be a part of their plans for 2020.

Keeping Jenkins is even more sensible when you consider Saints cornerbacks Eli Apple and P.J. Williams will test free agency in a few months. Ironically, Apple and Jenkins were once teammates with the Giants — and the Saints declined Apple’s fifth-year option, which would have guaranteed him about $13.6 million for the 2020 season. Instead, Jenkins has taken his starting job.

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Snap counts and playtime percentages from Seahawks win over Eagles

Both the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles were lacking starters due to injuries – here are the wild-card snap counts for both teams.

The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles entered the wild-card round of the playoffs with more than a few starters watching from the sidelines with injuries. The Eagles even lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a head injury early in the game.

Both teams rallied and made the necessary adjustments, however, it was Seattle who emerged victorious on Sunday.

“This was a really good accomplishment for our guys,” coach Pete Carroll said after the win. “We’ve come off a season of playing really well on the road and having played well here too. To get back and get to do it again. I know there’s a lot of talk of how you do that stuff again, but we did. As a matter of fact, the score was even the same I think. It’s a really big accomplishment.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages for the Seahawks and Eagles during their wild-card matchup.

Seattle next heads to Green Bay to face the Packers in the divisional round on Sunday.

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Saints snap-count analysis from wild-card loss to Vikings

The New Orleans Saints didn’t change much of their snap counts in their wild-card loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but maybe they should have.

What went wrong for the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round? Some puzzling personnel decisions led to botched opportunities against the Minnesota Vikings, and it ultimately cost them a shot at another Super Bowl berth, which was eluded the Saints for a decade. Here is how each position group split snap counts on Sunday.

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 54 (96%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 42 (75%)
QB Taysom Hill, 23 (41%)
RB Latavius Murray, 15 (27%)
FB Ricky Ortiz, 3 (5%)

It’s unclear why Kamara outsnapped Murray so significantly, because Kamara’s play didn’t earn that wide of a disparity. His slump year continued into the playoffs, with Kamara’s longest play amounting to just a 9-yard catch. He averaged just 3.7 yards per touch against the Vikings. He still has a year left on his contract, but the Saints can begin negotiating with him on an extension in March. It’ll be interesting to see whether they they think he’ll be as involved in the offense over the next three years as he’s been in his past three, and if an underwhelming 2019 season was just an aberration due to injuries.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 53 (95%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 41 (73%)
TE Jared Cook, 33 (59%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 32 (57%)
TE Josh Hill, 27 (48%)
WR Deonte Harris, 6 (11%)
WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, 3 (5%)

Smith was on the field for 41 snaps and only has one stat in the box score: a drop, which bounced off both of his hands in a pass he should have caught in stride while streaking down the seam. He can’t be playing this often while contributing so little, it’s just a waste of everyone’s time. Cook at least caught all five of his targets; the question there is why the Saints forgot to utilize him until they were down by 10 points late in the game. He should be more involved in his second season with the team, and hopefully youngsters like Smith and Harris will show the team more as they get better-versed in the Saints offense. But they absolutely cannot go into training camp with this same talent-deficit group.

Offensive line

T Ryan Ramczyk, 56 (100%)
T Terron Armstead, 56 (100%)
C Erik McCoy, 56 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 56 (100%)
G Andrus Peat, 54 (96%)
G Nick Easton, 5 (9%)
G Patrick Omameh, 1 (2%)

Why wasn’t Peat pulled from this game? He’s been a weak spot in the Saints offensive line for years now, and Easton proved he can play competently at worst when Peat was sidelined by an injury earlier this season. Peat was beaten over and over again by the Vikings defensive line, and it’s no coincidence that Brees immediately connected with his longest pass of the game (on a 20-yard scoring throw to Taysom Hill) when Peat stepped out to get his ankle re-taped. Easton may or may not be the answer at left guard in 2020, but there’s no question that Peat isn’t.

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Sean Payton discusses why Josh Hill is so essential to well-oiled Saints offense

Saints coach Sean Payton values nominal backup tight end Josh Hill highly, due as much to his ability to make any block as his versatility.

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Veteran tight end Jared Cook arrived to the New Orleans Saints with much fanfare, but he’s taken a backseat to Josh Hill for much of his first season. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Cook’s production has not suffered for it — his 9 touchdown grabs tie All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas for the team lead. Hill has only gained 226 receiving yards this season, which trails even converted quarterback Taysom Hill (234 receiving yards).

But as Saints coach Sean Payton tells it, Hill’s ability to execute nearly any block in the playbook and experience in a variety of personnel packages explains the discrepancy between Hill’s 649 snaps played (6th-most on the team) on offense against Cook’s 502 (11th-most).

“He’s a guy we use in the run game and pass protection. He does a lot of things well,” Payton said. “He plays on special teams, he plays a lot of snaps each week and he’s done so for quite a while.” In addition to Hill’s extended time when the Saints have the ball, he’s chipped in 182 snaps on special teams (8th-most for the Saints, just ahead of kicker Wil Lutz at 180).

Payton continued, “He’s someone that has real good athleticism and it’s difficult because a lot of different personnel groups might run through him. He might be in the base, he might be in 11 (personnel). Certainly, Jared (Cook) is playing a lot of snaps. The two of them together will play a lot of snaps. He’s one of those guys that does a lot of things well.”

This isn’t the first time Payton has talked up what Hill brings to the team; earlier in the season, he likened Hill’s loss during a game to losing the front door of your home, in that you can get by, but it’s going to be significantly more difficult. Here’s hoping Hill and Cook can each remain healthy and continue to help the team as they push towards Super Bowl LIV.

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Saints snap-count analysis vs. Titans: Injuries shook up playing-time distribution

The New Orleans Saints snap count distribution was already shaken by key injuries going into Week 16’s game with the Tennessee Titans.

The New Orleans Saints went into their Week 16 game with the Tennessee Titans missing some key contributors with injuries, and damage sustained during the win cost them a few more. It directly impacted the snap count distribution for each position group, so let’s dig into it.

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 68 (97%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 44 (63%)
FB Zach line, 26 (37%)
QB Taysom Hill, 25 (36%)
RB Latavius Murray, 25 (36%)

Kamara turned in his best game since his big day against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, and Hill made an impact while lining up at a variety of positions. This is the platonic ideal Saints backfield snap distribution.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 61 (87%)
TE Josh Hill, 42 (60%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 38 (54%)
TE Jared Cook, 36 (51%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 25 (36%)
WR Deonte Harris, 13 (19%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 7 (10%)

Hill has outsnapped Cook for most of the year, largely due to his proficiency as a blocker. But there’s no mistaking Hill’s impact in the passing game for Cook, who has averaged 77 receiving yards in his last five games. He’s also caught five touchdown passes in that time, giving the Saints something close to a consistent threat opposite Thomas.

Offensive line

OT Terron Armstead, 70 (100%)
OT Ryan Ramczyk, 70 (100%)
OC Erik McCoy, 70 (100%)
G/C Will Clapp, 70 (100%)
G/C Nick Easton, 70 (100%)
OT Michael Ola, 10 (14%)

Clapp and Easton had to stand in for Andrus Peat and Larry Warford, and the difference was palpable. The Saints offensive line is strong enough to absorb one of those losses, but they struggled without each of their Pro Bowl guards. The good news is that Peat should return soon, while Warford may be facing a more-extended absence. The unit posted a stronger performance in the second half than the first, but hopefully they can all get healthy before the playoffs begin.

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Week 16 snap counts and playtime percentages: Cardinals at Seahawks

A look at who got the most time on the field in the Week 16 matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals.

The Seattle Seahawks dropped their Week 16 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals and suffered a number of new injuries in the game. With health already a concern, the reserves were called up to back up the inactive starters.

Regardless, Seattle wasn’t able to find a way to get it done and inked its fourth loss of the regular season.

“We had a really difficult day, obviously,” coach Pete Carroll said postgame. “Boy, nothing worked out the way we wanted it to, other than the first couple of drives. After that, we just weren’t able to do enough to have a chance to win the game. It didn’t matter, kind of, what phase we were in. We just weren’t good enough today.”

The Seahawks had made a number of adjustments prior to the contest but fell short in nearly every facet of the game. Carroll believes it wasn’t a lack of preparedness.

“We were ready to play, and jacked up and all that, and it turns out like that,” Carroll continued. “It’s just really a surprise. We could talk about this, and you guys are going to ask your questions and stuff, but really, our focus is gone on that game, because it wasn’t going to be on this game after we got in this locker room anyway with the game coming up next week.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seahawks Week 16 loss to the Cardinals.

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Texans’ snap count observations from the 24-21 win over the Titans

The snap counts from the Houston Texans’ 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans reveals an interesting trend among the cornerback rotation.

The Houston Texans took sole ownership of the AFC South Sunday when they beat the Tennessee Titans 24-21 Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium. The outcome improved Houston’s record to 9-5 and dropped the Titans to 8-6 with two games left in the regulars season.

To clinch a playoff spot after Sunday’s accomplishment, Houston needs a win next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Titans need to lose to the New Orleans Saints.

However, before worrying about what the future holds, let’s take a gander at the past. The Texans’ snaps from the redeeming 24-21 win can tell where certain parts of the depth chart head in the future.

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Observations

Offensive line:

No surprise here: Chris Clark and Roderick Johnson split snaps at right tackle. For the third week in a row, Clark got the start, the two switched off periodically mid-game.
As Rivers McCown points out, Johnson plays as a run blocker more so than the 34-year-old Clark. 42.4% of Johnson’s snaps come on run plays as compared to Clark’s 35.1%.

Secondary

Houston appears to be nearing its cornerback rotation. They’ve gone from five to four playing, as rookie Lonnie Johnson did not play a defensive snap. However, he did have a big pass breakup on a fake punt.
Bradley Roby played the entire game defensively. The cornerback with the second-highest snap-share was Vernon Hargreaves at 49% (33). Johnathan Joseph and Gareon Conley each finished with 48% (32). It will be interesting to see if Houston takes a three-man rotation and Roby into the playoffs.
Since Week 12’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, safety Jahleel Addae has not played more than 10 snaps in a game. He played 20 on Sunday. Most of his snaps came after Justin Reid momentarily rested from a shoulder injury.

Front-seven

Linebacker Zach Cunningham was the only front-seven player to play the full game. The third-year Vanderbilt product continues to turn heads. He finished the win with 14 combined tackles, his fourth game with 14-plus.
Defensive tackle D.J. Reader played 70% (47) of snaps. That shouldn’t be surprising. He helped limit Titans tailback Derrick Henry, doing it himself as a tackler or plugging rush lanes. He is the motor of the defense.
Outside linebackers Brennan Scarlett and Jacob Martin rotated a bit. Scarlett had a higher snap share of 66% (44) compared to Martin’s 36% (24). There was a reason for that. Scarlett acts as a better edge setter, while Martin is more of a pure pass-rusher. One was there to defend the run, the other came in on third-downs and obvious passing downs.
The Texans miss J.J. Watt.

Offensive skill positions

Receiver Will Fuller jumped into the game plan after missing the loss to Denver. He played in all but four offensive snaps. He finished with five catches for 61 yards.
Kenny Stills has officially (if it wasn’t already obvious) take over the slot position in Houston. He finished Sunday with two receptions from the inside while playing a 62% (32) snap share.
The Texans looked to establish the run on Sunday, opting to use the more powerful Carlos Hyde as their primary back. Hyde, while playing 67% (42) of snaps recorded his third 100-plus-yard rushing game of the season.
Tight end Jordan Thomas played one snap. Though a promising second-year Y, Houston appears comfortable with Darren Fells and Jordan Akins as they head into the postseason.

The Texans will face the Buccaneers on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium. Look for trends in who plays and differences based on the opponent.

Saints snap-count analysis vs. 49ers: In-game injuries forced quick fixes

The New Orleans Saints were hammered with injuries against the San Francisco 49ers, losing Jared Cook and cutting into their snap counts.

The New Orleans Saints rode a roller-coaster during their Week 14 game with the San Francisco 49ers, not helped by several injuries hitting the deepest position group on the team: the defensive line. Two defensive ends (Marcus Davenport and Trey Hendrickson) and starting defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins each missed time against San Francisco while dealing with various injuries, creating some atypical snap counts. Here’s our unit-by-unit breakdown.

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 68 (94%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 55 (76%)
QB Taysom Hill, 28 (39%)
RB Latavius Murray, 24 (33%)
DT Mario Edwards Jr., 1 (1%)

Short-handed at fullback (starter Zach Line was inactive with a knee injury) the Saints used Edwards in that capacity on one goal-to-go play. Hill got the most run of his NFL career, appearing on a personal-best 28 plays on offense and 31 on special teams. Kamara outsnapped Murray by a wide margin, which is concerning given how much better Murray has played than him in recent weeks.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 70 (97%)
TE Josh Hill, 62 (86%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 56 (78%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 42 (58%)
TE Jared Cook, 8 (11%)
WR Deonte Harris, 7 (10%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 5 (7%)

Cook was a big part of the Saints’ game plan in this one (as seen by his two touchdown catches in the opening minutes) but a concussion forced him out of the picture, and that meant a huge snap count for his backup. The Saints got more production out of their receiving corps than has been normal for this season, so hopefully they can continue helping out. Harris deserves more touches on offense.

Offensive line

C Erik McCoy, 72 (100%)
T Ryan Ramczyk, 72 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 72 (100%)
G Nick Easton, 72 (100%)
T Terron Armstead, 72 (100%)
G Patrick Omameh, 6 (8%)

Armstead deserves a ton of credit for playing this game (and playing well) despite dealing with a very painful high-ankle sprain. He held up against a talented 49ers pass rush after missing the last two games. Easton has continued to do his part as a fill-in at left guard and could be playing his way into lead position for the starting job next year. Ramczyk was seriously challenged for the first time this season by Nick Bosa; the rookie defensive end gave the Saints’ All-Pro candidate more than he could handle at times, which is more than can be said by a group that includes Khalil Mack, J.J. Watt, Shaquil Barrett, and Jadeveon Clowney.

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Week 14 snap counts and playtime percentages: Seahawks at Rams

Complete Week 14 snap counts and playtime percentages from the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams in primetime.

The Seahawks suffered a tough divisional loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night on the national stage to yield the NFC West lead back to the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle also realized its first road defeat of the year.

With a few players battling injuries – including defensive end Ziggy Ansah, who was inactive for the matchup – some adjustments had to be made.

“We made our efforts, we made – the things that we do to get us back in it, we had couple great picks and a great touchdown by (Quandre Diggs) and we blocked the field goal too,” coach Pete Carroll said postgame. “We did the kinds of things that we needed to do, but we needed a couple plays on the other side to go ahead take advantage of it, and we weren’t able to find it. So a difficult night. And you got to hand it to them. They played great.”

Here’s a look at the snap counts and playtime percentages for both the Seahawks and the Rams Week 14.

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Saints snap counts analysis: Vonn Bell logged 104 plays vs. Falcons

By playing both defense and special teams, New Orleans Saints safety Vonn Bell saw his snap count climb to 104 against the Atlanta Falcons.

This year’s NFC South division championship belongs to the New Orleans Saints, just as it did last year, and the year before that. The Saints still haven’t played a complete game with penalty-free, clean execution in all three phases, but they’re still 10-2 and have clinched a playoff berth in November. They have time to improve before the postseason kicks off.

Snap counts got weird in this game, particularly on defense. They ran a season-high 93 plays when Atlanta had the ball, which is a huge disparity against the 50 plays the Saints ran on offense. When the Saints go 2-for-10 on third down while the Falcons go 6-for-16 (and get helped out by a number of dubious penalties against the Saints defense), that’s going to happen. Here’s our snap count analysis:

Offensive backfield

QB Drew Brees, 48 (96%)
RB Alvin Kamara, 41 (82%)
QB Taysom Hill, 13 (26%)
RB Latavius Murray, 13 (26%)
FS Marcus Williams, 1 (2%)

Hill didn’t see a huge jump in playing-time on offense (he’s averaged 11.4 snaps per game this year) but this game was easily his biggest day of the year so far. He scored both of the Saints’ two touchdowns (one through the air, another on the ground) and consistently gave the team a spark when they needed it on critical downs.

Skills positions

WR Michael Thomas, 40 (80%)
WR Tre’Quan Smith, 37 (74%)
TE Josh Hill, 29 (58%)
TE Jared Cook, 29 (58%)
WR Ted Ginn Jr., 27 (54%)
WR Krishawn Hogan, 11 (22%)
TE Jason Vander Laan, 5 (10%)

Smith ran a lot of routes but didn’t get open often against Atlanta, catching two targets for 14 yards. Cook was frustratingly inconsistent. The veteran tight end has clear playmaking ability — just look at his latest 40-yard catch-and-run — but he’s dropped three would-be touchdown passes in the last two weeks, and went 3-for-6 as a receiver on Thursday. At least Brees is still giving him chances to make an impact.

Offensive line

C Erik McCoy, 50 (100%)
T/G Patrick Omameh, 50 (100%)
G Larry Warford, 50 (100%)
T Ryan Ramczyk, 50 (100%)
G Nick Easton, 50 (100%)
G/C Will Clapp, 6 (12%)

New Orleans had to start two new faces at left tackle (Omameh) and left guard (Easton), and they both responded well when called up. The Saints gave up six sacks in their last game with the Falcons but rebounded to keep Brees clean and upright in this meeting. Their success in a pinch was a huge reason for the Saints’ success.

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