The trade of Chris Ivory helped the Saints land John Jenkins in the draft but it also had the nice side benefit of giving the Saints a little breathing room with the salary cap. According to NOLA.com, which quotes the NFLPA, the Saints are now $3.1 million under the cap. That gives them the ability to add a couple of free agents at slightly more than the vet's minimum. I wouldn't rule out more veterans being brought in for competition prior to training camp to add depth. In fact, I fully expect it. Here's a few ideas that could make sense.
Cornerback: Right now the top four corners on the roster are Keenan Lewis, Jabari Greer, Patrick Robinson and Corey White. Lewis and Greer are untouchable as the starters, but beyond that anything can happen. There's also talk Malcolm Jenkins could at least move back to nickel on passing downs to get Kenny Vaccaro into the game.
There's a few guys I could see the Saints adding to give competition to P-Rob and White. Elbert Mack is a possibility, since he played fairly well with the Saints last year. Based on the fact that the Saints pursued Asomugha and Tracy Porter after they signed Lewis, and didn't draft a corner, it's fair to assume they are still in the market for adding a vet.
Other possibilities, depending on price, include Marcus Trufant, Sheldon Brown, Shawntae Spencer, Nate Clements, Rashean Mathis, Stanford Routt, Quentin Jammer and Cedric Griffin.
Wide Receiver: I know the Saints have a ton of wide receivers but I have a hard time seeing Kenny Stills and Nick Toon being the only guys fighting for the fourth spot on the roster, and Joe Morgan being handed the third spot. I just see them bringing in a veteran to compete. That doesn't mean the youngsters won't win those spots over a vet, it just means they'll have to earn it.
Possibilities include: bringing back Devery Henderson, Brandon Stokley, Austin Collie, Deion Branch, Steve Breaston, Early Doucet and Laurent Robinson.
Running Back: I know the Saints just got rid of Chris Ivory, but I'm not convinced they're just going to guarantee Travaris Cadet a roster spot. He's a poor man's Darren Sproles and the Saints might want a back with more physicality as their #4 in case something happens to Mark Ingram.
Possibilities include: Beanie Wells, Kevin Smith, Felix Jones, Ryan Grant and Mewelde Moore.
Defensive End: With Galette and Wilson likely making a move to outside linebacker, the Saints are left with Kenyon Coleman as their top backup end (or maybe Akiem Hicks).
Possibilities include: John Abraham, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Dwight Freeney, Juqua Parker, Israel Idonije and Trevor Scott.
Expect the Saints to bring in two guys at the positions I just listed. Personally, I'd love to see John Abraham and Nate Clements added to the mix. I doubt the Saints can pull off landing those two with $3.1 million worth of cap space, but that's my dream scenario. Any free agent left available that you want to see the Saints make a play for?
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