B/R: Saints’ inactivity hurts their offseason grade heading into the draft
Bleacher Report scouting department has graded the offseason for each NFL team. Kris Knox evaluated the NFC teams while his constituent Alex Ballentine evaluated the AFC. Free agency obviously plays a big part, but salary cap management, preparation for the 2024 draft and general team direction all play a part in forming the team’s grade.
The New Orleans Saints haven’t been overly active in free agency. The biggest move they made was bringing in Chase Young on a prove it contract. That likely brings down their grade, but they have managed the cap well this offseason. The rest of the rubric is subjective. Cumulatively, Knox gave the Saints a C. Here’s why:
There really isn’t much to discuss regarding New Orleans’ offseason. The Saints entered the offseason facing a massive cap deficit, and general manager Mickey Loomis had to work just to get the franchise in compliance.
Everything will hinge on how New Orleans fares in the draft because the Saints’ penchant for kicking contracts down the road is catching up to them. Give Loomis credit for not selling off the entire roster just to manage the salary cap, but New Orleans largely looks like the same squad it was a year ago.
The first line sums up why a low grade was expected. “There really isn’t much to discuss regarding New Orleans’ offseason.” That’d be acceptable if the Saints were at least coming off a playoff berth. Finances played a part, but it does feel like they played it safer than required.
Knox lays out offensive line and wide receiver as positions of need heading into next week’s draft. Wide receiver still needs more bodies despite the addition of Cedrick Wilson Jr., Stanley Morgan, and Equanimeous St. Brown. They also need an impactful player whether in the form of a draft pick or A.T. Perry. The offensive line needed help coming into the offseason and the outlook, like Ryan Ramczyk’s health, got worse as the offseason has progressed.
You can’t return essentially the same team that didn’t make the playoffs and feel good about it. That places a lot of pressure on Klint Kubiak as the biggest new piece to tilt the Saints’ trajectory upward. He can’t afford for Derek Carr and Chris Olave to have as many quiet spells as we saw last season. Even with their flashes last year, New Orleans needed some juice heading into the upcoming season. The NFL draft will be vital to the success of this team moving forward.
