The new NFL league year will be here before we know it. The Saints will have plenty of decisions ahead to make when it comes to how they want to build out their team next season, and they’ll have to first figure out what free agents they’ll want to keep before March 13 rolls around. So, which ones should they prioritize? We’re just looking at unrestricted free agents for New Orleans, but we should expect restricted free agents Lynn Bowden and Adam Prentice be a part of the decision process. The rising cost of tags make it easier for a lot of teams to decline these. For perspective, a Right of First Refusal is projected to come in at $2,828,000, and that’s just the first tag. Here’s how we’d classify the pressing decisions to make for the Saints.
Isaac Yiadom, CB, 28 – Yiadom is coming off a stellar year after filling in as a starter for eight games last season. His 14 pass defenses landed him in the Top 10 of the league, really excelling under Joe Woods after being reunited. Regardless of whether or not the Saints do anything with Marshon Lattimore, Yiadom is a key special teams player and has big upside. Other teams will surely be interested. SHOULD GET HIGH CONSIDERATION Lonnie Johnson, DB, 29 – I don’t know that we saw everything Johnson could bring to the table last season, but he was a big special teams presence who filled in as a starter and was an extra defensive back at times. A knee injury ended his season prematurely, but I like the idea of bringing him back to compete and be an extra DB. Johnathan Abram, DB, 28 – If there’s one player who proved themselves by trusting the process last season, it was Abram. The former first-rounder put in a lot of time in the film room and eventually got his chances to play. Those last two games showed a good bit to the coaches, and he could be more for them if the team were to move on from someone like Marcus Maye. ON THE FENCE Andrus Peat, OL, 31 (Void Years) – He ended up being the team’s best lineman last year and he wasn’t supposed to be a starter. Could Klint Kubiak use someone like Peat? It seems that way with him being able to get out in space and such, but the question is how much is New Orleans going to have to pay him? That’s a $13.6 million decision on your hands right now, and it could be less if they were to designate him as a post-June 1 cut. Perhaps more information will present itself soon enough here. Zack Baun, LB, 28 – On one hand, Baun’s work as a third down pass-rush specialist was great to see. On the other hand, it also took the Saints way too long to figure that out. Baun is a key special teams player, and assessing his market value is what’s going to be interesting. New Orleans shouldn’t break the bank by any means, and I believe a 3-4 team could also look at him. Malcolm Roach, DT, 26 – A knee injury against the Lions wrapped up Roach’s season, but before that he was a fairly big part of the interior rotation for New Orleans. He was making one or two plays each week that didn’t go unnoticed. He can be a good run-stopper and also has some upside getting after the quarterback. It might be another one-year deal for him, unless the team goes in a different direction here. Related: Former Saints Third-Rounder Joins Detroit Lions LET WALK/TEST THE MARKET Michael Thomas, WR, 31 (Void Years) – Seeing the two parties sever ties and moving in a different direction seems inevitable. It’s hard to see fences being mended after Thomas’ shots on social media, but also it’s a player who just hasn’t been able to stay on the field. He’s a tremendous player when he’s at his best, but that just hasn’t been a consistent theme for Thomas. He’ll be in a different uniform in 2024. Jameis Winston, QB, 30 (Void Years) – Winston might just get a chance to compete somewhere else. It’s going to cost the Saints some financials, but the restructure does allow them to spread out the hit over a few years due to the proration. He’s been a very positive influence in the New Orleans locker room and will give any team he lands with the same thing. Be sure to check out his thoughts on the impending free agency. Jimmy Graham, TE, 38 – New Orleans essentially shocked everyone by adding Graham right before training camp started. Throughout the year, his usage was scarce at best. He appeared in just 14.8% of the offensive snaps (171), and a lot of that was down the stretch. Unless Graham wants to keep playing football, and that probably won’t be a decision he makes until late July, it feels like that last hurrah is over with. Kyle Phillips, DE, 27 – Edge rusher is an area where the Saints will need to improve drastically at next season. Phillips started on the practice squad and then landed on the active roster, appearing in just five games for New Orleans. He was a frequent inactive and just didn’t get many opportunities. Eno Benjamin, RB, 25 – Hardly a no-brainer here. An Achilles injury derailed any chance he had at playing time last season. He’ll be one of those that will probably have to wait until training camp to get a shot with a team. Keith Kirkwood, WR, 31 – It was just over a year ago that the Saints signed Kirkwood to a one-year contract extension. While he didn’t make much of an impact on the stat sheet and played in just 236 snaps (20.4%), he was a fairly big part of the blocking scheme and played special teams. He has a lot of trust from the coaching staff and Derek Carr, but might just have to wait until an opportunity arises. Max Garcia, OG, 33 – Garcia was a late addition before training camp and ended up making the final roster while filling in as a starter at times and being the jumbo guy. He wants to keep playing and is unsure on where he’ll land in 2024, and bringing him back as a depth piece with starting upside is something New Orleans will at least want to look at. TAKE A CHANCE/ONE-YEAR FLIERS Trai Turner, RG, 31 – At the time, the addition of Turner was going to be a good one to at least shore up the offensive line depth. Unfortunately, Turner tore his quad just a few days after signing with the Saints. It’d be at least worth checking out, especially if he’ll fit Klint Kubiak’s new offense. Cameron Erving, OT, 32 – Erving showed that he can play still and filled in nicely for the offensive line in a pinch after being added to the practice squad in early October. He was a very positive presence in the locker room, being always upbeat and knew his craft well. The only problem with the outlook for some of the offensive linemen is if New Orleans wants to get younger at the position. Ty Summers, LB, 29 – Summers was added to the practice squad in mid-September and then landed on the active roster just over a week later. He appeared in 15 games for the Saints and was a key special teams player. Ugo Amadi, DB, 27 – Amadi was essentially a special teams player and backup insurance in the slot. He did a lot of bouncing around in 2022, but found a permanent home with New Orleans last season and played in all 17 games. Andrew Dowell, LB, 28 – A torn ACL in early August forced Dowell to miss the year. Before that, he was a key special teams player every week. We’ll have to see where things are at, and New Orleans already has Nephi Sewell having to return from injury, so will they add another?
