Top Three Free Agent Additions That Could Help Improve The New Orleans Saints

Critics will tell you that the New Orleans Saints have allot of holes to fill entering the 2010 season as most fans would agree.

Going into this years draft the Saints had six picks to address what others saw as their needs.

Experts said they had to draft a linebacker in the firt round to help fill the void left after the loss of Scott Fujita to the Browns, or a defensive end to plug Charles Grant’s hole.

The Saints did none of that and for the second year in a row drafted a corner taking Florida State’s Patrick Robinson with the 32nd pick.

In fact they didn’t choose a single linebacker or defensive end in the draft, positionally they chose a CB, OL, TE, DT, C and a QB.

New Orleans seems to be content with improving from within as they are confident in the talent of the young players and linebackers they currently house.

It looks as if the next starting strong side linebacker will be one of those young, unproven rookies.

Charles Grant will be replaced by free agent addition Alex Brown at the left defensive end position unless he simply forgets how to play football — looks like the Saints have it figured out.

Any team can get better, the Saints included, so here is a look at the top three free agent additions that could help improve the team.

1. Linebacker Keith Bulluck: Drafted by the Titans 30th overall in the 2000 draft Bulluck has spent nine seasons in Tennessee making 126 consecutive starts before tearing his ACL late in the 2009 season.

Bulluck was not resigned by the Titans this off-season, a move he himself said was inevitable even among talk by the franchise they did indeed want him back.

A true outside linebacker Bulluck has amassed six seasons with one hundred or more tackles and has deflected 57 passes throughout his career.

Bulluck, depending on where he is with rehab on the knee, could compete for the starting strong side linebacker spot alonside JoLonn Dunbar and Clint Ingram.

If anywhere near 100 percent he could represent a major injection of veteran talent into a rather young linebacker core.

2. Runningback Lendale White: Also a former Titan White was drafted in the second round of the 2006 draft but was used very sparingly in his rookie season.

However Lendale would gone on to have two good seasons with Titans after his rookie year rushing for 1,883 yards and 22 touchdowns as the primary back.

The emergence of Chris Johnson in 2009, who rushed for over 100 yards in almost every game, had disastrous consequences for White who’s production and carries dwindle to virtual non-existence.

This of course did not sit well with Lendale and the relationship between he and the Titans franchise soon soured leading to his draft day trade to the Seattle Seahawks.

Ironically his time in Seattle was short lived as he was cut not long after he arrived for what has been graciously referred to as a “conflict of interest”, aka a very bad attitude.

Regardless if White can curb the antics he, paired with former college alum Reggie Bush, could once again form a dynamic duo in the Saints backfield.

New Orleans has desperately pursused a true power runner to use in short yardage and goal line situations and White would suit that role nicely.

3. Defensive End Greg Ellis: The long time Dallas Cowboy was recently released by the Oakland Raiders, spending only one season with the struggling franchise.

By all accounts that one season was pretty decent as the pass rush specialist notched seven sacks on the year, 1.5 more than former starting Saints left defensive end Charles Grant.

With the sudden release of Bobby McCray the Saints are suddenly down one quality pass rusher in their rotation of defensive ends and Ellis would be and adequate replacement.

In twelve seasons Ellis has totaled 84 sacks and not unlike McCray could fit the role of an exclusive situational pass rusher, an area the Saints have needed to improve for some time.

Regardless of his age Ellis is obviously still capable of getting to the quarterback but if the Saints want a shot at him they better hurry as rumor has it that he and the Cowboys have mutual interest in him re-joining the team.