The Saints pass rush could see a mad dash in 2015

If you had to sum up this off-season in one word, you might use the word “shift.”

The 2014 New Orleans Saints came into the season with high expectations. They were a popular pick to go to the Super Bowl by fans and pundits alike. They went into the off-season with momentum, coming off a bounce back year. Returning from his year long suspension, Sean Payton brought back consistency and competitiveness, recording an 11-5 record and winning their first road playoff game in franchise history. Although the season ended with a tough loss on the road in Seattle, they were optimistic and approached the off-season aggressively.

The team felt that they had a young core group of talented players which allowed them to shed cap space. They jettisoned long tenured veterans such as Lance Moore, Roman Harper and Will Smith. Malcolm Jenkins signed a lucrative deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, where the Saints also traded fellow teammate Darren Sproles for a 5th round pick. They surprised everyone and signed ball-hawking free safety Jairus Byrd, and traded up in the draft to take speedy receiver Brandin Cooks. The Saints seemed like they were a couple of players away, a few minor tweaks from making a deep playoff run. A large part of this optimism had to do with the strength of the defensive line. The team stayed relatively healthy during training camp and pre-season and looked primed to reach the lofty goals they set for themselves.

Then the season started.

After jumping out to an early lead in Atlanta, the Falcons offense came roaring back, setting a franchise record for yards in a game. The defense had no answers and it snowballed. That snowball rolled all the way to Raymond James Stadium.

Probably the low point of the season was in week 14. With the division on the line, the Saints hosted their division rivals and 2013 NFC South champs, the Carolina Panthers. Already down 10-0, the Panthers were threatening to score again. It was 3rd and 1 at the Saints 2 yard line. The ball was snapped and Cam Newton ran easily into the end zone. Newton proceeded to jaw in the face of the Saints defense and a fight broke out. You might have thought that the team had awaken and was ready to climb back into the game. Instead it was just a paper tiger flexing its two dimensional muscle. Cam and the rest of the Panthers continued to dominate the Saints. The final was 41-10, and that doesn’t even do justice to how lopsided it actually was.

No one really knows what the talks were like after the season was over, but Payton was quoted as saying that this wasn’t going to be some band-aid fix. Everyone was being evaluated. The man really undersold just how drastic the shift was going to be. Jimmy Graham, Kenny Stills and Ben Grubbs were all traded. Curtis Lofton, the teams defensive captain and leading tackler, was cut. Pierre Thomas, a fan favorite and screen pass artist, was let go.

(While productive, pass rusher Junior Galette is on thin ice)

Then there was Junior Galette. The talented yet immature pass rusher had possible criminal charges and a potential multi-game suspension looming over his head. Sean Payton was not happy and looked to ship him to another team. After failing to find a trading partner, the Saints were forced to restructure his contract to get under the cap, securing his roster spot for 2015. If not for the structure of his contract that he had signed right before the 2014 season, he probably would have been cut.

In a strange twist, this could wind up paying dividends for the Saints this year. Galette doesn’t know if he’ll be back next season. There’s a very good chance that he gets traded or cut. Galette doesn’t want to go into the free agent market as a troubled player coming off a down year. Unlike last year, he’ll have competition. 2nd round pick Hau’oli Kikaha is primed to play a lot of snaps in 2015 and seems like a logical replacement for Galette if the Saints should part ways at the conclusion of the season. Kasim Edebali played well in limited snaps last year and could provide the team with depth and flexibility going into 2016. With future earnings on the line, Galette has plenty of motivation to be productive, and so do fellow teammates Cam Jordan and Akiem Hicks.

(Akiem Hicks and Cam Jordan look to reestablish themselves in 2015)

Cam Jordan recorded 12.5 sacks in 2013, but only managed 7.5 in 2014. While sack numbers aren’t always a reliable indicator of overall performance, Cam Jordan was near invisible for stretches last year. Akiem Hicks was himself ghost like at times, although it did come out that he was battling an ankle injury, which is troublesome for a 320 lb man. Bottom line, both players were disappointments and they can’t afford to repeat.

“Contract year” isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the proverbial carrot on the stick that IS the player’s career. On average it only last three years, and if you’re fortunate to make it to that second contract, you want it to count. Contract years offer players their greatest chance to increase their earning potential since events like the NFL Combine or the Senior Bowl.

It’s been said that Sean Payton likes to manufacture crisis, but a trio of them have fallen into his lap. He has three high profile players with uncertain futures and money on the line. Reality is slapping them in the face and asking “Are you going to do something, or just stand there and bleed?”