The New Orleans Saints could use a blocking tight end after they traded Adam Trautman during the NFL draft — Juwan Johnson has developed into a competent blocker but he’s at his best running routes, catching passes, and scoring touchdowns. And he should benefit in that department with Derek Carr throwing to him. But someone needs to pick up the 519 snaps Trautman played last year.
Maybe one of the backups impresses this summer. Guys like Lucas Krull, Miller Forristall, and Joel Wilson have put up some good game tape in the past. But as a group they don’t inspire a ton of confidence, and this looks like a role the Saints could upgrade without investing a weighty contract. Taysom Hill isn’t a big part of this equation either given all of his other responsibilities on offense.
And the clock is ticking. Veteran tight ends like Eric Tomlinson (Houston Texans), Stephen Carlson (Chicago Bears), and even Dan Arnold (Philadelphia Eagles) have all been signed by other teams during the last week. The Saints do need to take action sooner or later. Here are 10 free agents who could help the team:
1
Foster Moreau, Las Vegas Raiders
It’s so unfortunate that Moreau’s life has been interrupted with a cancer diagnosis, though he’s optimistic he can bounce back from it and still play football this year. The Saints could sign him and stash him on the non-football injury list until he’s medically cleared, but he’s probably not going to be game-ready until October or November at best.
2
Geoff Swaim, Tennessee Titans
Swaim is a better blocker than receiver, which is exactly what the Saints need to compliment Johnson. He’s one of the better-experienced free agents available with 88 games behind him (including the playoffs).
3
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Brate is one who got away from the Saints, having joined their practice squad for a week back in 2015. He went on to appear in 133 games with the Bucs (including the playoffs) while proving to be a sure-handed receiving threat and reliable blocker. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to see what he has left in the tank.
4
Mitchell Wilcox, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals were just as eager to overhaul their tight ends room as the Saints were this year (if not moreso; they sealed the deal on a contract with free agent Irv Smith Jr.) which isn’t a great endorsement of Wilcox. But he played a lot of snaps for Cincinnati last season and he’s got plenty of special teams experience, so the Saints could do worse.
5
Marcedes Lewis, Green Bay Packers
It feels like only a matter of time until Aaron Rodgers gets the New York Jets to sign another one of his favorite teammates, but we’ll see. Lewis is still one of the game’s better tight ends as he approaches his 39th birthday but this is a spot you’d like to see the Saints get younger at.
6
MyCole Pruitt, Atlanta Falcons
Pruitt wasn’t a huge part of the Falcons offense last year but he still caught a career-high 4 touchdown receptions and tied his personal-best with 10 first down conversions. He has a ton of experience with 97 games behind him.
7
Tyler Kroft, San Francisco 49ers
Kroft was primarily a blocker in the high-octane 49ers offense last season, totaling 4 receptions for 57 yards across 11 games. He hasn’t become the big-play receiving threat teams expected when he came out of college but there’s a role for players with his skill set in this league.
8
Nick Vannett, New York Giants
Here’s a familiar name. The Saints spent a lot of time trying to offload Vannett after they drafted Trautman, and he eventually made his way to the New York Giants. Now he’s available to be signed again and he would easily be the best blocker at the position in New Orleans without much competition for snaps.
9
Ryan Griffin, Chicago Bears
Griffin is a good blocker with a strong resume on special teams, which is exactly what the Saints should be looking for. They just shouldn’t expect him to be a big part of their passing game.
10
Maxx Williams, Arizona Cardinals
A lot of Saints fans have asked about Williams (given name recognition and his draft status), but the team could have signed him at any point last season when he was on Arizona’s practice squad and chose not to. He finished the year with just 3 receptions for 18 yards while appearing in 11 games, having missed some time with injury. The Saints could probably do worse but they can do better, too.
