The first day of NFL free agency was filled with major moves. From Brock Osweiler being traded to Cleveland, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signing one of the best free agent WRs it was a great open to what looks to be a fun free agency period.
The New Orleans Saints surprised a lot of people on Thursday as they began to make a ton of moves toward making this team better. They bolstered up the defensive line by re-signing Nick Fairley to a big deal and a whole lot more went down afterwards. Let’s look at each of the signings and what could be happening next for this team.
Ted Ginn Jr.: One Small Step
While this seems like a strange move on paper with the amount of talent the Saints have, this is something that will be the first step towards making a major move in the coming days. The big rumor since last week was that the Saints were actively shopping Brandin Cooks. The former first-rounder has become an interest of the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, and Philadelphia Eagles.
The latest rumors will be discussed later in the article, but the Saints getting Ted Ginn Jr. will be more of a WR3 on the depth chart with Michael Thomas and Willie Snead above him. This may seem like a downgrade, but if some pieces fall in the right spot you won’t need to worry about the loss at wide receiver depth. Also, Drew Brees can make Ginn look slightly better than servicable.
A.J. Klein: Bolstering Front Seven
Last season saw some major swings and misses. Stephone Anthony became an afterthought after his great rookie season and James Laurinaitis became another big miss in terms of free agency splashes. This might be a good pickup in A.J. Klein.
While this name doesn’t really ring any bells, Klein has a lot of potential since he had backed up one of the best linebackers in the league by the name of Luke Kuechly. His performance last season was good, especially when he was filling in for Kuechly who went down with injury during the season. With the uncertainty of the linebacker position, the excitement of adding depth at the position is a big plus.
Larry Warford: Filling Out the O-Line
Saints have their offensive line on paper for 2017: LT Terron Armstead, LG Andrus Peat, C Max Unger, RG Larry Warford, RT Zach Strief.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) March 9, 2017
Look at the potential offensive line the Saints could have in 2017 if Armstead stays healthy.
This is another signing that may raise some eyebrows largely because not a lot of fans know the offensive linemen off the top of their heads. However, this is cause for applause because they have found a very good blocker.
According to Pro Football Focus, Warford had the best run-blocking and pass-blocking grade last season amongst the other members of the Detroit Lions. Again, being healthy means that Andrus Peat won’t have to be dealing with playing two positions and start to flourish as a guard in 2017.
This is a best case scenario, but the third signing for the Saints in the first day of free agency was a pretty fantastic choice.
Rumor Mill: Where Does Cooks Go?
As mentioned earlier, the Saints have been actively shopping around Brandin Cooks. The biggest rumor over the past several hours is that the Saints could trade Cooks for corner Malcolm Butler.
This is coming right after the Patriots had offered their 32nd pick in this year’s draft for Cooks, but the Saints rightfully declined. Sean Payton has gone on the record saying that he wants to get something “substantial” for their wide receiver. Getting Butler would be huge for the Saints as it addresses a need to make the secondary great.
It also helps make your decision making in the NFL Draft a lot easier because of other news that is saying that Manti Te’o will meet with the franchise sometime in the next 24 hours. This could take care of the linebacker position issues and makes sure that the Saints move toward getting an edge rusher that could compliment Cam Jordan. Visualize that front seven right now and try to convince yourself that this couldn’t be a playoff team.
-Clint Domingue