They say that you miss all of the shots you don’t take, which has been a popular philosophy for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. It’s sometimes tough for them to land their top targets due to the complicated salary cap gymnastics required to fit everyone on their books — but that hasn’t stopped them from aggressively pursuing players who they believe can make their team better.
And that should continue to be the case in 2023. It’s early, and many of these players will sign extensions with their teams in the weeks ahead. But we have an idea of the areas the Saints must upgrade to field a competitive roster in the fall.
Given the list of free agents currently expected to be available, here is one player from each of the other 31 teams around the league who New Orleans should at least make a run at once they’ve reached salary cap compliance (with our division previews and list of alternative free agent targets collected at the bottom):
Arizona Cardinals CB Byron Murphy
Atlanta Falcons CB Isaiah Oliver
Baltimore Ravens WR Demarcus Robinson
Buffalo Bills RB Devin Singletary
Carolina Panthers RB D'Onta Foreman
Chicago Bears RB David Montgomery
Cincinnati Bengals S Vonn Bell
Cleveland Browns QB Jacoby Brissett
Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard
Denver Broncos DT Dre'Mont Jones
Detroit Lions RB Jamaal Williams
Green Bay Packers WR Allen Lazard
Houston Texans DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Indianapolis Colts WR Parris Campbell
Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram
Kansas City Chiefs DT Khalen Saunders
Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr
Los Angeles Chargers CB Bryce Callahan
Los Angeles Rams DT A'Shawn Robinson
Miami Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki
Minnesota Vikings DT Dalvin Tomlinson
New England Patriots RB Damien Harris
New York Giants WR Darius Slayton
New York Jets DT Sheldon Rankins
Philadelphia Eagles DT Javon Hargrave
Pittsburgh Steelers DT Larry Ogunjobi
San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo
Seattle Seahawks DT Poona Ford
Tampa Bay Buccaneers DE Anthony Nelson
Tennessee Titans S Joshua Kalu
Washington Commanders DT Daron Payne
Division previews with alternative free agent targets
- AFC East: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets free agents
- AFC North: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers free agents
- AFC West: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers free agents
- AFC South: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans free agents
- NFC East: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Commanders free agents
- NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings free agents
- NFC West: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks free agents
- NFC South: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agents
