The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia put together a list of the top 30 pending free agents for 2023, and several New Orleans Saints players made the cut. That feels ominous after the team parted with two of their highly-rated free agents this offseason in free safety Marcus Williams and left tackle Terron Armstead, but each situation is different, and it’s possible the Saints act more aggressively to retain homegrown talent.
Defensive end Marcus Davenport is the highest-rated Saints player on Kapadia’s lists of pending free agents, ranked at No. 20 overall. His take on Davenport ahead of the 2022 season:
“He’s coming off a career season in which he produced nine sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 11 games. Durability has been an issue for Davenport. He’s missed 17 games in four NFL seasons. But young, versatile pass rushers with upside are always in demand. Davenport is another player who has a lot to gain with a strong 2022 showing.”
Kapadia also listed Saints center Erik McCoy at No. 25, making him the best pending free agent at his position. Here’s what he wrote of McCoy:
“He’s one of the best young centers in the NFL. McCoy has started 44 games in three seasons. He did not allow a sack on 433 pass block reps last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Currently, the top centers make between $13 million and $14 million per year. Given his age, McCoy could top that if he delivers a strong showing in 2022.”
But these aren’t the only Saints free agents to monitor for 2023. Other starters like defensive tackles David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle, defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and wide receiver Deonte Harty are each headed for unrestricted free agency. There will also be restricted free agents to deal with including wide receiver Marquez Callaway and punter Blake Gillikin.
New Orleans knows this. The Saints have been preparing for it. They’re currently over the projected 2023 salary cap (estimated at $225 million) by more than $33 million, but they can roll over a lot of this year’s unspent $19 million to wear that down. They’ve been drafting project players early like defensive end Payton Turner and center-guard convert Cesar Ruiz in case some higher-profile talents move on. They can also restructure some contracts to get under the cap in a hurry, as they’ve done before, if they so choose. The point is that the Saints have flexibility to do what they want.
