New Orleans Saints
2019 Record: (13-3) 1st
NFC South
2019 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 28.6 (4th)
Yards: 373.9 (9th)
Pass Yards: 265.2 (7th)
Rush Yards: 108.6 (18th)
Defense
Points: 21.3 (13th)
Yards: 333.1 (11th)
Pass Yards: 241.8 (20th)
Rush Yards: 91.3 (4th)
There was little question coming into the 2019 season that the
Saints weren’t a top contender to reach the super bowl. Having a roster filled
with play making talent with very few holes to speak of, anything less they
reaching the final contest would have to be seen as a failure.
The season began on a winning note to only witness great demise in
week two as the Saints lost their star quarterback Drew Brees to a broken thumb
which kept him our of action for the following five weeks. Returning to action
in week eight – Teddy Bridgewater surprisingly keep the ship afloat looking
rather efficient in the process. With that sound play and team dynamics coming
together for Brees to finish it off with his all-star stamp – a 13-win season
was the outcome winning the division once again.
Heading back to the postseason (which was the given formality) the
Saints couldn’t muster enough to get past the Minnesota Vikings. That loss
didn’t come without controversy as the overtime touchdown to seal the win could
be seen as offensive pass interference from Kyle Rudolph. Nevertheless, another
year lost meant another squandered opportunity for Brees to get another title
on his resume.
While the year didn’t conclude the way they hoped, many records
were broken for Brees to provide some level of jubilation. With his playing
future in doubt as he reflected on his choice to return for another campaign,
this off-season would bring great speculation of the path forward.
2020 Offseason
WorkBook:
Continuing down the path on the future of Drew Brees, he made up
his mind rather quickly and announced that he in fact will return for his 20th
NFL season. With that already locked up, the questions rose to who will be kept
as the Saints backup quarterback. With Taysom Hill and Teddy Bridgewater both
having key roles this past season, Coach Sean Payton hasn’t been shy in placing
a great deal of endorsement to Hill returning to the fold.
At this point, Hill has been nothing more than a gadget player on
this offense creating mismatch opportunities for the Saints to scheme different
plays. One would believe that Bridgewater should be the preferred choice to
potentially take over from Brees upon his retirement, but he likely priced his
way out of town with his great play in relief. Staying true to his word, coach
Payton got his way as New Orleans has placed a first-round tender on Hill
making in near impossible for any club to pilfer his services. With that move,
Bridgewater’s future with the Saints has surely been written and we should see
him fetch good money on the open market.
Jumping right into the running back position and what was a
disappointment statistically for Alvin Kamara, we have thoughts on this matter
also. For the past few years, we’ve enjoyed watching Mark Ingram and Kamara
form a duo opposing defenses feared to play. With the exist of Ingram via free
agency, the Saints tried to recreate the forceful attack with Latavius Murray
but naturally saw a letdown. Kamara lost traction but it wasn’t gravely
disappointing in yardage earned, but rather his touchdown productively is where
the problem rested. Not coming close to his fabulous 2018 campaign, Kamara lost
13 total touchdowns which could be felt on this offense to be that dominating
force.
Perhaps the loss of Ingram was greater than most would’ve thought
and we wouldn’t be shocked to see another runner added to help reconstruct a
once powerful unit. Its not to say we can’t envision Kamara rebounding in a
very big way – Murray in our eyes isn’t the perfect complimentary piece for
this run game.
Heading to an area New Orleans typically has great success, the
receiving core (outside of Michael Thomas) truly needs assistance. Thomas
literally was the primary target on this offense which saw him break a record
we thought would never be touched again. Thomas had a season for the ages
securing 149 receptions, for 1725 yards, while finding the endzone a healthy
nine times – absolutely amazing. Breaking Marvin Harrison’s single season
reception mark was truly unbelievable.
In dissecting the supportive pieces in this receiver room, a
massive upgrade is definitely needed. Ted Ginn’s return was a great positive as
he stepped back into his deep threat role to keep defenses honest. This
fortitude allowed Thomas to find room while seeing safeties account for the
potential big shot to Ginn. Outside of that, we only have disappointing thoughts
when discussing the future of Tre’Quan Smith and his role on the club. Having
nothing overly credible to evaluate, we truly believe the Saints will add more
firepower to this group in the NFL draft. Finding a player on the open market
isn’t out of the question, but spending big money isn’t something that’s in the
cards for 2020.
With our distain for the supportive options on the receiving core,
we must throw support toward tight end Jared Cook. Though he did disappear from
time-to-time this season, he was more than reliable and provided enough to be
the third best statistical pass catcher on the club. And though we preach more
weapons to be added to this offense, rolling with Thomas, Kamara and Cook is a
great trio to reach coveted levels.
The Defense
Looking back in review to what this defense was, its difficult to
suggest many negatives even as the team statistic ranks don’t blow us out of
the water. Outside of ranking in the top five in rush defense (4th
overall) not holding a top 10 finish in any other category could be a concern.
Needless to say, the group does hold a strong pedigree and was rather
impressive for most of the season - we should see more attention given to the
secondary this off-season.
Starting with the defensive front and the whopping 51 team sacks
they produced – Cameron Jordan again proved he should be in the conversation of
being one of the best in the entire NFL. Racking up a massive 15.5 tack-downs
this past season, one could only imagine what will transpire with Marcus
Davenport coming back to full health. Losing Sheldon Rankins after week 10 was
also a massive hit which led to lesser productivity, making his return more
than a welcomed sight. Adding more depth and rushing power should be a priority
but this group is very sound as they stand today.
Heading to the line backing core and seeing some level of
inadequacy, Damario Davis still is the unquestioned leader of this group but
would fair better with more assistance. While Kiko Alonso and AJ Klein are both
very serviceable players, the top end potential can never be hit unless more
talent is added. Injuries have also played a big role on this group and should
be reason enough to find better ability this off-season.
Looking at what is employed on the defensive backfield of this
team, the Saints have many sound pieces but took a side step in productivity
this past season. Lead by star corner Marshon Lattimore, he too didn’t reach
dominating levels he attained the season prior. Trading for Eli Apple from the
Giants back in 2018, he did see some level of improvement but still couldn’t be
that trusted player they hoped for. Adding to that, Von Bell and Marcus
Williams are two players that are very talented but seeing Bell in need of a
new contract, we could see another safety added this off-season.
One aspect that does bring with it some level of optimism was the
addition of Janoris Jenkins after he was released by the Giants for
inappropriate comments made. If he is retained by the Saints the year and given
a full training camp to gel with Lattimore – we could see a shutdown tandem
like no other. While we can make arguments that Jenkins skill level is dropping
off a little, he has more than enough to make a difference on this secondary.
Adding depth pieces with the potential to replace a couple team
free agents should be the way this shakes out in New Orleans. Either way, this
group is still loaded to make a case to be super bowl contenders once again.
Team Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
Teams who typically see great success over a number of seasons
normally hold less cap dollars then their competitors. The Saints are not
immune to this also as they currently hold a meek 12.3 million in free cap
space. With a large amount of team free agents to contend with (24 free
agents), they will be in tough to bring back players they want.
Obviously highlighting Drew Brees and his decision to return for
another season, his contract was voided and the Saints will have to maneuver
creatively to bring him back to the fold. Beers was making a healthy 25 million
last season but has since seen his market value increase to potentially 36
million per season. Even if Brees takes another home town discount to keep the
roster intact – finding new money will be tricky.
While we mentioned that Taysom Hill has already been hooked with a
first-round tender in hopes to remain on the team, other notable names for the
Saints to consider resigning include – AJ Klein, Andrus Peat, PJ Williams, and
Von Bell. Finding ways to bring back Peat should be the top priority, but will
also come with a very tough task. Peat is coming off his rookie contract and
has exceeded expectations in his level of play. With how strong this offensive
line is, they may be forced to let him walk with minimal dollars to spend.
For purposes of this evaluation, finding contracts to remove off
the books is our objective to find more money. First, Janoris Jenkins holds a
whopping 11.25 million for 2020 and looks to be a no brainer cap causality with
no dead money applied. Kiko Alonso is another player that hasn’t preformed well
enough to justify his current contract which rests at a ridiculous 8.6 million.
Releasing Alonso would generate another a nice return in funds while placing a
mere 850-thousand to dead funds.
Even as we spoke highly of Sheldon Rankins on this defensive line,
his injury proved he could also become expendable given his current cap rate.
Holding 7.6 million toward the Saints cap, he also carries no dead money and
would be a reasonable release from the team. With these three potentially cut
from the roster, New Orleans would create a decent 27.45 million in free space
to sign more highly desired players. Nothing is off the table for a club that
has money concerns all over the roster.
The NFL Draft
Even though this roster does hold a good level of talent, adding
more viable play-makers is always key in the NFL draft. As of today, New Orleans
sits with five selections on their board which includes no second round or seventh
round picks. Having the 24th overall pick in the first round, the
Saints will have to make the most of this selection with no second rounder to
double down from.
Wide receiver screams to be the selection in this first round as
this class is truly loaded with talent to help their super star Michael Thomas.
For our appetite, LSU product Justin Jefferson would make a boat load of sense
here. Believing he would have no issue staying in the state of Louisiana, his
ability would give the Saints a secondary receiving option like no other. And
while we mentioned the potential release of Jenkins from the secondary, its not
inconceivable to witness another defensive back added in the first round.
Outside of a defensive back, wide receiver and perhaps upgrading
the line backer position – the Saints will have options at pick 24 to only sit
and wait for their next pick in the third round. For a club still primed to
reach the super bowl, we would have to think finding top end play-makers over
development talent will be the path taken in this 2020 draft class.
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