After day 2 of the draft I’m left wondering – was this the #YOLOoffseason or was this accepting that it’s time to build for the future? Because it feels like both depending on which move they made. I understand the frustration many of you have with this draft and yet I’m excited with some of the players they acquired. Whether or not this draft was a success will be measured down the road but let’s look at how they decided to go this offseason.
Was it YOLO?
Acquiring Adrian Peterson. Doing a dance with Malcolm Butler. Giving up a 2018 2nd round pick. Making an enormous offer for Zeitler and then immediately pouncing on Warford when that didn’t work out. These are all moves a team makes if they’re going for it now. This would lead us to believe the Saints aren’t afraid to take risks in an effort to maximize their chances of winning now.
Was it build for the future?
Trading Brandin Cooks for picks. Taking a tackle and safety in the 1st and 2nd rounds based on value when they weren’t as big of a need as pass rusher (though they were needs). Taking a linebacker in the draft after adding A. J. Klein and Manti Te’o in free agency. Ignoring pass rush (by far their biggest need) until their last pick in the 3rd round because they never liked the value. Strongly considering quarterback Patrick Mahomes and being disappointed he didn’t fall to 11. Those are all moves a team makes when they’re building for the future, not going for “win now”.
Lack of a clear defined strategy is concerning
When you see the schizophrenic approach to their offseason strategy, it’s a little concerning. Did they even have a clear plan? Because these moves all seem impulsive and haphazard. The trade of Brandin Cooks – for example. We were told by Sean Payton after that move that “this was about improving our defense”. Then, they go take a tackle at 32nd overall. Now look I loved the pick. Strief is 33, Peat can’t play on the right side, and the Saints needed a good backup tackle that would start sooner than later. I support the pick fundamentally. But Cooks didn’t make the defense better at all. Then, they burned a 2018 asset in their 2nd round pick, combined with a 7th, all so they could select a RB, Alvin Kamara. The Saints have already invested a ton in that position with the contracts of Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson. They also brought back Travaris Cadet and drafted Daniel Lasco and Marcus Murphy in recent years. Despite all this, they decided they needed to burn a 2018 asset and overpay for a 3rd round pick… for an offensive player. If it was really about “making the defense better” – it’s infuriating that the biggest burned assets (Brandin Cooks and a 2018 2nd rounder) were for two offensive players. Two players, mind you, with potentially limited roles in 2017.
Another strategy should have been players with unblemished medical history based on how injuries decimated the team last year. It’s concerning that Lattimore, Ramczyk and Anzalone all come with noted injury issues. Loomis cited trust in his medical stuff on these touch points – but based on recent history I don’t think he should have trust in them at all.
Is the defense even better?
That’s the big question. Because unless we see improvement on that side of the ball, none of this matter. It’ll be 7-9 again. Now I really love the addition of Marshon Lattimore. It’s huge. He alone helps the coverage in a massive way. After that, though, the defense lost Jairus Byrd, B. W. Webb, Kasim Edebali and Paul Kruger (I think most of you are fine with this) and added the following besides Lattimore: A. J. Klein, Manti T’eo, Alex Okafor, Marcus Williams, Alex Anzalone and Trey Hendrickson. That list of names feels like a bunch of maybes and probably nots. Are they unquestionably upgrades? I’m not certain of that. So now we’re left counting on Lattimore to be great, sooner than later, seeing no decline from guys like Vaccaro, Jordan, Breaux, and Fairley and seeing improvement from guys like Rankins, Anthony, Williams and Bell. I’m going to put it bluntly – I don’t think enough was done to truly transform this defense. Maybe the board never worked out for the Saints to get a pass rusher but the failure to give the team something better than a Okafor/Hendrickson tandem this offseason may prove to be the team’s 2017 undoing. I do find it funny that many of you were freaking out over defensive players not being taken, yet hated the Anzalone pick the most. I get it, though, smart money is on Anzalone spending all of 2017 on IR.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to like about this offseason. I’m thrilled about the offensive line. Brees feels protected and I’m thinking this will lead to him taking a record low number of hits. The plethora of backs they have with skills to play behind that line is exciting. I actually think the offense is better without Cooks, now, because the line improvement, AP, Kamara and Ginn mitigate his departure. No one thing there is better than Cooks but the combination of all of it makes the offense more multiple. There’s more options and Payton’s scheme is more dangerous with a running game and a receiving back than it is with a small burner. Payton’s failure to fully maximize Cooks won’t happen with Kamara. It’ll be the opposite. I’m thrilled about Lattimore and I’m hoping he’ll end up having a better career than Malcolm Butler. Him falling to 11 was a huge surprise and extremely fortunate. I’m glad no quarterback was taken. There’s a number of question marks that I’m hoping will pan out to significantly improve the defense. The special teams, in my eyes, is unquestionably improved. So this isn’t doom and gloom at all. That said, once again, the lack of synergy with the moves they make show inconsistent strategy… will they make the playoffs in 2017 regardless?
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