Where would the top remaining offensive free agents fit on Saints’ depth chart?
The New Orleans Saints are always bringing bodies in and out of camp for tryouts and to fill holes in the rotations. The Saints roster is fairly locked in and looks pretty good, but there’s no problem in adding some veterans that could play crucial rotational roles.
And they have the means to do it. The Saints rank around the middle of the league in terms of available cap space for the season, combine that with the fact that they’re in a great spot to make a playoff push and you should feel good about where the team is at right now.
If they do feel like they do want to make some more moves on the offensive side of the ball, here are the best available names and where they would fit in the depth chart:
Quarterback
Joe Flacco – QB 3
Teddy Bridgewater – QB 2/3
There is no need to bring in another quarterback to the Saints room. Jameis Winston is a fine backup and having Jake Haener on the roster is the perfect young project to learn from Derek Carr. If something were to happen and they need another quarterback, though, Teddy Bridgewater makes the most sense given the familiarity with the team.
Running back
Ezekiel Elliot – RB 4
Kenyan Drake – RB 4
Darrell Henderson – RB 4
For the purposes of this list, we can still consider Alvin Kamara the RB1, ignoring the looming suspension.
It’s hard to not be at least intrigued by Elliott. He’s not the same running back that he once was, but he’s still just 28 and could be worth kicking the tires on.
Drake is an intriguing option for a more passing game focused player. When Kamara is out, Drake could be the player that comes in to catch those passes that would normally go to Kamara. He at least is more apt than the other options currently on the roster.
Tight end
Geoff Swaim – TE 4
Maxx Williams – TE 4
MyCole Pruitt – TE 4
Tight end is certainly not one of the stronger positions on the roster, but the Saints did a good job of getting the best player on the market in Foster Moreau. I think it’s likely that they run into the season with the guys that are currently on the roster, as there’s not a lot of appealing options on the market right now.
Wide receiver
Jarvis Landry – WR 5
Sammy Watkins – WR 5
T.Y. Hilton – WR 5
The wide receiver market right now is a ton of veterans that are far past their prime and looking for a small role on a championship run. The Saints are more likely to dip into the pool in the middle of the season in the case of injury than bring one in right now. Landry likely gets the call first as he has proven to be a good leader in the locker room at the worst case.
Offensive tackle
George Fant – RT 2
Marcus Cannon – RT 2
Ty Neskhe – LT 3
Dan Skipper – LT 3
After Ryan Ramczyk, the Saints don’t have any options that you can really feel safe with taking the field in an NFL game. It would make sense to expand your offensive line depth with some quality veterans on the market.
The left side is more taken care of with a couple of options, it’s also the weaker side of the market.
Guard
Rodger Saffold – LG 2
Dalton Risner – OG 2
Trai Turner – RG 2
The guard position is one that is always going to be interesting. There are a couple of veterans on the board that could really fight for some starting reps if Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz really struggle. They added Nick Saldiveri as a great depth piece that will hopefully grow to a starter, but Calvin Throckmorton could use some more competition in the rotation.
Center
Rodney Hudson – C 2/3
Chase Roullier – C 2/3
Matt Skura – C 2/3
The Saints did a good job of bringing in Billy Price to back up Erik McCoy. He’s about on the same level of anyone on the market, but that also means if things don’t work out they can try again with another available vet.
