Offseason Primer: New Orleans Saints

In a city like New Orleans, where there’s so much fun to be had, it’s hard to imagine the people of that city placing an emphasis on football, or more specifically, the Saints. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The people of N.O.L.A. love their Saints, and after two consecutive 7–9 seasons, there’s a sour taste in the mouths of many Bourbon Street patrons. Questions are being asked and fingers are being pointed from the top down. Has Tom Benson lost control? Is it time for Sean Payton to move on? Is Drew Brees entering his final season? Each question is probably fair, and the questions about how the Saints will return to the upper-echelon of NFL teams will persist. So where do they begin? After consecutive seasons of not being bad enough to rebuild, but not good enough to make the playoffs, how will the team approach the upcoming offseason? With a roster filled with aging stars, and the worst cap situation in football, they’ll need to reinvigorate their roster with youth and talent in 2016… let’s take a look at how they might try to do so.

When the Saints Go Marching Out: As was mentioned, New Orleans’ cap situation is particularly bleak, and they’ll have to make a variety of difficult decisions if they want to give themselves any semblance of flexibility heading into free agency. By releasing players like Marques Colston and Thomas Morstead, and kicking the can down the road by restructuring the deals of Jairus Byrd, Jahri Evans, and Cameron Jordan, the Saints can create themselves just enough space to legitimize themselves as realistic participants in free agency. They’ll need to make sure, if they do make the necessary moves to provide themselves with cap room, that they make the right decisions, because they won’t have enough resources to make mistakes if they want to improve this year. After finishing the season as one of the worst team defenses in NFL history, it’s safe to assume that side of the ball will be their primary area of concern this offseason.

With sunk costs like Jairus Byrd and Brandon Browner (likely to be released) persisting, the secondary is– for the most part– set, barring any unforeseen circumstances with Kenny Vaccaro– who is in the last year of his rookie contract in 2016 (with fifth-year option likely in 2017). They’re less talented up front and within their linebacking core. It’s possible they could try to bring in veterans on short-term deals, or invest what little cap room they have into an impactful defensive player with youth and skill. Given the uncertainty of their roster, it’s more likely they vie for the first option. Similar to what the Cardinals did in 2015, by signing players like Lamar Woodley and Dwight Freeney to low-risk contracts. Obviously, it’s harder to foresee which players could replicate the successes of Woodley and Freeney, since relatively no one– minus the Cardinals– thought either player would perform well heading into last season. More teams will be sifting through the bargain bin this offseason. Experience as a player will always be a coveted asset, especially for teams who are trying to develop younger players. Possible targets would likely be players like, Brandon Mebane, Mario Williams (expected to be cut), Cullen Jenkins, and B.J. Raji. While they’re definitely not the flashiest of players, they could serve as a bridge to the Saints future talent on the defensive side.

Future Sainthood: The Saints are in a unique position where they have an answer at quarterback and are still capable of competing for the playoffs, yet they need to continue building their roster for the future. With players who’ve been productive in the past aging and their skills diminishing, the team will need to restock at those positions. Thus, with Drew Brees’ days numbered, and relatively no above-average talent at the quarterback position in free agency (and no cap room if there was), they’ll be forced to seriously look at selecting a QB in this year’s draft– possibly even in the first round. With three QBs expected to go in the first round, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, and Paxton Lynch, the Saints could be waiting to select one at 12. Even though for a team with a roster like New Orleans’ it’s typically a bad move, if the Saints really like one of the top QBs they could consider trading up in the draft for one of them. The only way a move like that is even remotely defensible for a rebuilding team is if it’s to select a quarterback. The price would be steep, but it would relieve some of the pressure of finding out the direction of the franchise’s future. It should be duly noted that Brees is not the only player whose production will eventually need to be replenished. With Ben Watson, Zach Strief, Marques Colston, and Jahri Evans all aging, drafting solid replacements and giving themselves time to groom those players would be a smart idea. If they do indeed take this approach, it’s likely it would involve them trading back in the draft at some point and collecting more picks in the future. Depending on which direction they choose, it’s undeniable that there are many holes to be filled.

Organizational Patience: With accusations of “mentally unfit,” “incapacitated,” and “manipulated” being made against Saints principal owner Tom Benson by his daughter, who was expected to inherit the team before Benson decided to leave the team in the hands of his wife, Gayle. Fans were beginning to wory that the situation would affect the team’s on-field performance and front office decision making, as the last few years have been quite tumultuous for the Saints and their ownership. Fortunately, the situation has reportedly been resolved. With that being the case, no matter how the power structure is divided, the Saints need to be patient in their quest to return to greatness. With Sean Payton under contract through 2017 and rumors swirling about his departure, it will be interesting to see if his frustrations with organization can subside and if he’ll maintain as head coach. With the situation they’re in, it’s unlikely the Saints will be contending for the Super Bowl within the next two seasons, but they can begin the groundwork– during that time– for a team that is ready to contend in the future. In Payton’s case, as a top coach in the NFL, and as we’ve already seen near the end of 2015, he’s a highly coveted coach for a reason. The Saints ought to do all they can to satisfy Payton in order to keep him around. Three or four seasons from now, it will be interesting to look back and see how the ownership situation affected the team. Will Payton still be around? Will Brees be playing elsewhere? Will the Saints be in the playoffs with or without Brees/Payton? It’s impossible to predict, but one thing we do know– is that Saints fans will know exactly where to point their collective finger if things don’t go as planned.

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