What should be the New Orleans Saints’ next move after striking out on Justin Simmons? Committing so much time and resources to recruiting a Pro Bowler just to come up short is disappointing, but it isn’t the end of the road. What’s the plan for the salary cap dollars that had been earmarked for Simmons’ offer?
Looking outwards, the higher priority all along should have been the New Orleans offensive line. Trevor Penning has been a big disappointment at right tackle and there aren’t any viable alternatives on the roster behind him. Landon Young can’t cut the mustard. Neither can Jesse Davis. Olisaemeka Udoh doesn’t have much NFL experience there with just three starts at right tackle.
You’ll find a similar problem at left guard. Lucas Patrick has done well relative to the players around him but he’s ultimately closer to a replacement-level starter than someone the Saints can lean on. Nick Saldiveri can’t stay healthy long enough to make a compelling argument for why he should start. Udoh was nearly a disaster in that role during last week’s preseason opener.
So who is available? The Saints waited too long to make a move for veteran players like Mekhi Becton and Dalton Risner, who signed with other teams. At this point the free agent market is made up of players who are either coming off serious injuries, on the wrong side of 30, or who couldn’t hold down starting jobs of their own last year — if not some combination of the three.
But beggars can’t be choosers. At some point the Saints will have to admit the group they’ve assembled isn’t good enough. They could wait to trawl the waiver wire in a few weeks or try to trade for a better blocker, but what are the chances another team’s castaways would be upgrades? We’ll guess it’s unlikely.
The smart thing to do would be to check in on the free agents still available. Guys like D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith, Connor McGovern, and Billy Turner are all out there looking for work. They couldn’t be much worse than the players competing at Saints training camp right now. But there’s only one way to find out.
Alternatively, the Saints could look to continue extending their own talent. They signed Rashid Shaheed and Pete Werner to new contracts this summer, getting a jump on their 2025 free agent class. It’s possible they could cut a deal with someone like breakout cornerback Paulson Adebo, too. Or they might come to terms on a new agreement with Alvin Kamara. The point is that they have options. At this stage the only mistake they can make is sitting on their hands and accepting mediocrity.
