The off-season is always an interesting time for any football team. Anywhere from the lowly Browns to the defending Super Bowl champs (whoever it may be that year) has an opportunity to get better, stay stagnant, or get worse if they are unable to keep key players. The New Orleans Saints are certainly no exception to this rule and after a second consecutive disappointing 7-9 season the Saints had a lot to do this off-season. For starters they needed to work on fixing a disturbingly imbalanced defense that was incapable of covering for its crippling faults.
The goal for any team is to use the time between the end of the season and the draft to fill any major holes on the roster. What this is supposed to accomplish is to give the team the ability to focus entirely on picking the best players available without having to reach for a need. The free agency portion of the off-season isn’t really about making the ‘big splash’ (such as signing a Jairus Byrd), but about making the best use of the team’s resources in order to improve the roster and set things up for the draft. Does it hurt to add a top level talent in free agency? Of course not, a little name like Drew Brees might ring a bell for some of you. However, the teams who consistently go to make the big splash in free agency face the same issue the Saints suffered from last year… no depth.
Believe it or not the Saints roster is actually filled with talent, it’s just also EXTREMELY thin at certain positions. The Saints lack of depth at the defensive tackle and weakside linebacker positions crippled them more than anything else last year. Yes Browner was a disaster, but he was far more a symptom than a cause (minus a few moronic plays), the Saints were crippled from a schematic and personnel standpoint last year. Let’s take a look at how they addressed this in free agency.
Losses:
Safety: Rafael Bush
Bush went the way of another young back up the Saints had developed in house, Tyruun Walker, who decided to take their talents to the motor city. Bush was signed by Detroit leaving a MAJOR hole in the Saints roster and creating a sudden need for depth at the safety position. Bush may have been extremely injury prone while in New Orleans, but when he was able to play he was a key component for the Saints defense and maybe the key to truly unleashing Kenny Vaccaro. Bush leaving the team was a major loss.
Guard: Jahri Evans
Big Jahri was released by the only team he has ever played for this year to regret of us all. Unfortunately that regret is for the legacy of one of the greatest Saints ever, on the field and off, not for his impact on the team in 2015. Jahri alternated between being just mediocre enough to be a serviceable Guard in the NFL and being a broken shell of his former sense and a major liability. Regardless of my enormous respect for both the man and his legacy the fact is that Jahri being released was in many ways addition by subtraction.
Ben Watson: Tight End
While Watson had a very good season for the Saints last year his loss in and of itself (signed with the Ravens) isn’t really that significant. Watson is a pro’s pro and had a career year, but that was more as a result of Drew and Sean and the lack of other options to attack the middle, than his own abilities. However, without Watson on the team the Saints literally had no NFL tight ends under contract (eventually resigned both Hill and….Hooman). Watson’s loss creates a major hole on the roster.
Gains:
Linebacker: James Laurinaitis
Laurinaitis isn’t the best athlete, especially at this stage in his career, and I still stand by my position that positionally speaking he will be a net negative from Stephone Anthony. However, he is still a gain for the team because of what he does for others. James is one of the smartest and toughest players in the NFL (had over 100 tackles last year while playing with basically one arm). He’s practically always in position and is a true extension of the coaches on the field which should help mitigate, or even eliminate the mental errors that plagued last year’s young roster. That in and of itself is of tremendous value, but what he really brings to the table is the ability to move Stephone Anthony to strongside linebacker. Anthony is a special athlete and we repeatedly saw last year that his best snaps were those where he was going downhill and knew what he had to do. Anthony honestly did a good job for a rookie at middle linebacker, but there were clearly times where he was indecisive and it cost him. By allowing SA to move to the strong side where not only his athleticism, but also his abilities as a blitzer can be fully taken advantage of Laurinaitis becomes a valuable addition by proxy.
Linebacker: Craig Robertson
Robertson isn’t a star, he’s a backup, but that is exactly what the Saints need right now. Dannell Ellerbe was a very good starter when he was on the field last year, however the various individuals who backed him up when he invariably went down with an injury were anything but. Arguably the biggest need the Saints had going into the off-season was to find a player who could back up Ellerbe and be able to cover running backs and tight ends competently enough to not cripple the defense. Craig Robertson is a very competent backup and gives the Saints an immediate improvement in the depth department at weakside linebacker.
Defensive Tackle: Nick Fairley
Fairley isn’t just a defensive tackle, he’s a 3-technique who has a proven track record as a pass rusher and the necessary strength and athleticism to make a difference along the interior defensive line for the Saints. The total lack of anything even close to resembling interior pressure was a major part of why the Saints struggled to generate a consistent pass rush last year. Fairley should be a large part in working to eliminate that issue in 2016, and beyond simply improving the pass rush, Fairley’s ability to get into the backfield will help disturb opponent’s attempts to run the ball as well.
Tight End: Coby Fleener
Fleener provides two key elements to Payton’s offense that were missing last season after the departure of Jimmy Graham (as well as the decline of Marques Colston). Fleener is not only a player able to work the deep seem routes that help to unlock the full potential of this offense, but he is also a big strong body that can move the chains and be a threat in the red zone. Am I saying he is Jimmy and Marques combined? No, I don’t do drugs. However, I expect him to fill BOTH roles at different times for this offense. Fleener has the necessary speed, hands, and size to be able to help unlock a Saints offense that was very good last year, but not elite. More than anything else though, Fleener should help unleash Brandin Cooks (nearly 1200 yds and 10 TD’s isn’t unleashed yet folks).
Grade: B-
It was VERY tempting to cut this down to a C+ because the Saints not only lost a young piece in Bush, but also failed to bring in another starter caliber guard to replace Jahri. However, the additions of Robertson and Fairely in the front 7 and adding Fleener to help unleash the offense put the team in a great position to be able to go into the draft without having to reach for needs, but to let the best players come to them.
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