Things are trending in the right direction for the New Orleans Saints to acquire Derek Carr, with the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback returning for a second day of meetings at the team facility in Metairie on Thursday. The Saints didn’t have a bigger roster need this offseason than at quarterback, so it makes sense to aggressively pursue someone they feel can stabilize that position.
But the work isn’t finished if they’re able to cut a deal with Carr (and the Raiders, who are hoping to trade him before next week’s self-imposed Feb. 15 deadline). The Saints have other areas of concern on both sides of the ball. It’s fair to wonder if this team can get to the Super Bowl with Carr at quarterback and with Dennis Allen as its head coach, but checking these items off their to-do list could at least help them reach the playoffs in an actively-rebuilding NFC South:
1
Defensive tackle
Players under contract for 2023: Prince Emili
Every other defensive tackle who played for the Saints in 2022 is a free agent: David Onyemata, Kentavius Street, Shy Tuttle, and Malcolm Roach, plus Albert Huggins, who spent the year on injured reserve. Their run defense got gashed up the middle too often and the unit is in for an overhaul with Todd Grantham hired as a defensive assistant, likely working with the line given his strong resume. A couple of those free agents should return, but the Saints also need to invest in some upgrades.
2
Running back
Players under contract for 2023: Alvin Kamara, Eno Benjamin, and Derrick Gore
Kamara is likely to be suspended at some point following last year’s offseason arrest in Las Vegas, so the Saints need to prepare for being without him for as many as six-to-eight weeks. And they struggled to get much production out of the backfield last season badly enough that looking for help here should be a priority regardless of his status. Benjamin showed some signs of potential down the stretch but his presence shouldn’t stop them from looking for a big-play threat to pair with Kamara.
3
Defensive end
Players under contract for 2023: Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Payton Turner, Jabari Zuniga
Jordan and Granderson are the only known quantities at this group, and neither of them should be your primary pass-rushing threat off the edge. Jordan is nearing the end of his very impressive Saints career and Granderson is still kind of a limited player. Turner hasn’t shown much through his first two years in the NFL and the coaching staff chose to bench him in their meaningless Week 18 finale, so they can’t assume he’ll be ready for a big role in 2023. Marcus Davenport could re-sign, as could Tanoh Kpassagnon, but fresh legs are needed here.
4
Safety
Players under contract for 2023: Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, Smoke Monday
The coaching staff was high on Monday as an undrafted free agent last summer, but a training camp knee injury cut his rookie season short. Hopefully he can bounce back and carve out a role for himself. Justin Evans, P.J. Williams, and Daniel Sorensen are fine backups who could be re-signed but Maye’s availability (between an extensive injury history and legal challenges that may lead to a suspension) and Mathieu’s age open the door for a young draft pick to enter the mix right away and set themselves up for starter’s reps in a year or two.
5
Offensive guard
Players under contract for 2023: Andrus Peat, Cesar Ruiz, Lewis Kidd, Yasir Durant, and Koda Martin
This becomes more of a problem if the Saints move on from Peat (he’s a potential salary cap casualty this offseason) but it’s worth noting that he has appeared in just 17 of New Orleans’ last 34 games due to injuries. And Ruiz could be playing in a contract year if the Saints don’t pick up his option for 2024. Some long-term stability here would be nice. Improving the depth chart and developing a strong fallback plan if injuries strike again would be worth the investment.
6
Wide receiver
Players under contract for 2023: Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Tre’Quan Smith, Kirk Merritt, and Kawaan Baker
Thomas will almost certainly be released by the start of the new league year on March 15, given his last contract restructure, but there’s a scenario where he returns if the Saints are able to land Carr. Either way, they should continue to stack up weapons at receiver so that young players like Olave and Shaheed aren’t tasked with doing the heavy lifting — and the Saints should aim higher than Smith as the third or fourth player on their depth chart here. Whoever their quarterback is, they should be put in a position to succeed by having an array of dangerous targets to work with.
7
Tight end
Players under contract for 2023: Adam Trautman, Taysom Hill, Lucas Krull, and Miller Forristall
Trautman still hasn’t elbowed his way into the Saints passing game despite ample opportunities, and it feels more likely that he’ll be a career No. 2 option at best due to his blocking. Hopefully the Saints can bring back Juwan Johnson as a restricted free agent and pair him with new coach Clancy Barone, who has a history of developing Pro Bowl tight ends. But with Johnson’s status uncertain and Trautman entering the final year of his rookie contract, a long-term investment could make sense here.
8
Linebacker
Players under contract for 2023: Demario Davis, Pete Werner, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell, D’Marco Jackson, and Ryan Connelly
Is this the year Baun finally breaks out? He’s had some nice moments in run defense but he’s mostly been limited to special teams reps in New Orleans. It seems like the Saints could play him in the same role Kaden Elliss filled last year but if that were the case they would’ve tried it sooner, right? Regardless, Davis began to show his age at times last year, and Werner and Jackson’s injury history might push the Saints towards adding another player to the group.
9
Everything else
Arrange these position groups to your own liking. Answering the quarterback problem wouldn’t impact them one way or another, but the Saints are either strong enough at each one or the potential for upgrades is so minimal that it shouldn’t be a priority (with that said, targeting an affordable replacement for Wil Lutz would make a lot of sense after his struggles in 2022):
- Cornerback
- Offensive tackle
- Center
- Fullback
- Specialists (kicker, punter, and long snapper)
