After a little over twenty-four hours after season ended for the New Orleans Saints, it’s time to look ahead. A lot of the impact players will still be intact going forward due to the fact that a good chunk of them are still in their original contracts. However, the Saints still need a couple more pieces to really make a big push towards the Super Bowl in 2018.
Here’s some of the needs that the Saints have to address during the offseason.
Get a Servicable Tight End
Drew Brees loves to spread the ball around and has had a lot of success with tight ends in the past. No offense to Josh Hill, but he’s not the ideal TE1 when it comes down to it. He’s getting better, but the Saints need someone that can perform consistently at the position.
Perhaps it is time that they begin to look at getting Jimmy Graham back. While that might cause the Saints faithful to break out the pitchforks, they have to realize he doesn’t have to be a blocking tight end with the aforementioned Josh Hill and Michael Hoomanawanui executing well enough at the position. However, there are still some solid tight ends that could be available in the second day of the NFL Draft. You’ve even got Troy Fumagalli who has someone like a Ryan Ramczyk that can inform Payton and the rest of the staff how good he can be.
Depth at the Line
When you look at the Saints players on IR this season, you see a recurring theme: players between the trenches. From Andrus Peat to Nick Fairley, both the offensive and defensive line were ravaged with injuries.
You could say the same for the secondary with the likes of Damien Swann and Kenny Vaccaro being out for much of the season, but the players between the trenches have been improved. Imagine if they can get some added depth at these positions they can deal with a couple of injuries to players like a Zach Strief without missing a beat.
Draft the Heir to the Throne
You’ve only got so much time left with Drew Brees. He just turned 39 years old and has had some highly questionable passes, especially in the loss to Minnesota. With that in mind, this has to be the year that they draft the heir to the throne.
It sounds like a broken record, but this may be one of those opportunities where the Saints can get a solid QB in the first round of the draft, even with where they are positioned. Looking at WalterFootball.com, there’s five quarterbacks projected to go in the first round. While Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold will likely be the first players to be drafted that leaves some solid players like a Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield that could drop to them. However, the Saints shouldn’t have to wait for one of those two and not be afraid to pull the proverbial trigger on trading up for one of these solid players.
Re-Sign Drew Brees
Much like the Pelicans this past offseason with Jrue Holiday, this is priority number one heading into the offseason for the Saints. He’s an unrestricted free agent and the time is now to begin negotiating a new deal. Brees seems committed towards being a part of this team for the foreseeable future and that’s going to be big when it comes to how he handles potential suitors.
Look around the league and you’ll see a lot of franchises that would certainly love to have a player like him in 2018. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t already lining up a Brinks truck to sign the veteran.
-Clint Domingue