Oct 21, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour (92) reacts after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Jaguars in overtime 26-23. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

2013 NFL free agency may technically be over and the New Orleans Saints may not have a lot of cap space to work with, but the team should at least give a call to free agent defensive lineman Richard Seymour.

In news that should shock zero NFL fans, Seymour is still sitting on the free-agent market waiting for his phone to ring. There were rumblings earlier in the offseason that Seymour wanted big cash to play against, but he’s likely changed his tone now that every team has passed him up and instead went the youthful route with rookies from the 2013 NFL draft.

Just like a guy named Charles Woodson.

Now Seymour is insistent on playing next season. According to Gregg Rosenthal over at NFL.com, NFL.com’s Steve Wyche has been in contact with Seymour, who sounds ready to find a home:

The 33-year-old always has been an impact player at defensive tackle, and he’s been well compensated for it. Reports this offseason suggested Seymour only would play if he can find a big salary, and it might be tough to make him happy after he earned $30 million over the last two years. NFL.com’s Steve Wyche, however, says Seymour is not done yet.

“I’ve had a couple of text conversations with Richard, and he definitely wants to play,” Wyche said.

 

At this point it wouldn’t hurt the Saints to kick the tires on Seymour. He still has something left in the tank despite missing eight games last season thanks to injury.

Seymour is a versatile player who would fit well in the new 3-4 scheme the Saints are running under Rob Ryan. He could mentor young players and provide a nice stop-gap until youngsters can either emerge or more are brought on in subsequent drafts. It would take some skill to find the financial room for Seymour, but general manager Mickey Loomis has proven in the past he has a knack for making the impossible happen.

All is quiet on the New Orleans Saints front right now considering it’s the lull of the offseason, but Loomis and Co. should get busy reaching out to a veteran who can help the franchise in more ways than one next year and beyond.

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August 17, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith (91) against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Will Smith has had a tumultuous few years with the New Orleans Saints and things are set to get worse for the defensive end in defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s new 3-4 defense.

According to Larry Holder of NOLA.com, General Manager Mickey Loomis says Smith will have to make the transition to 3-4 outside linebacker.

It’s a shocking development for multiple reasons. For one, Smith is going to have to lose some weight if he wants to effectively contribute as a linebacker. At 282 pounds, Smith is simply too heavy for the position. Of course, he’s arguably on the light side of things to act as a 3-4 defensive end.

Smith is 31 years old and has had issues getting to the quarterback in the past few years. After recording 13 sacks in 2009, Smith has failed to tally more than 6.5 sacks in a season. The ineffectiveness is part of the reason his salary was slashed by $6 million this offseason so he could even stay with the team.

Now Smith is tasked with learning a new defense, potentially cutting weight and finding a way to be productive. Depending on how Ryan wants to use him, Smith may be asked to drop into coverage and be stout in run support as well.

Outside of the above challenges, Smith is going to have to beat out talented players such as Victor Butler, Martez Wilson and Junior Galette for playing time. At this stage of his career, it’s hard to see Smith doing so, especially when it’s likely his last season in New Orleans with the team scheduled to pay him over $10 million in 2014.

The move for Smith simply reeks of desperation from the coaching staff. That, or they truly don’t know what to do with him. Outside linebacker was one of the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft, but the front office simply didn’t have enough picks to address each need.

Smith is not the answer for the Saints at outside linebacker. Its seems like a one-year experiment at best before the team moves on to younger, more fluid fits at the position.

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Dec 30, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) scrambles out to the sidelines looking for a receiver against the Carolina Panthers during second half of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Carolina Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 44-38. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL and NFL Network have started naming its top 100 players from the 2012 season, so what better way to celebrate than to create our own NFL power rankings with names from the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

That’s exactly what we did with the help of other NFC South editors from the Fansided network. Leo Howell from The Pewter Plank, Fansided’s Buccaneers blog, and Ken Dye from Cat Crave, Fansided’s Panthers blog, helped us out with the Top 13 players.

The following list was compiled after each editor entered his own rankings, the lists were combined to make an official tally. We picked 13 players because the division is 1/8 of the NFL as a whole, and 13 is 1/8 of a 100.

Let’s take a look.

• 1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
• 2. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
• 3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
• 4. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons
• 5. Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 6. Darrelle Revis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 7. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
• 8. tie: Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers and Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
• 10. tie: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints
• 12. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
• 13. Charles Johnson, Carolina Panthers
• Honorable mention: William Moore, Atlanta Falcons; Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There aren’t many surprises on the list. The NFC South is a very top-heavy division when it comes to quarterbacks and receivers. You’d be hard pressed to find a division more stacked with wide receiver talent.

It is a bit shocking to see most of the teams have an equal amount of players, besides the Saints of course. That’s what happens when you have the worst statistical defense in NFL history and only a few players on offense who stand out from the pack.

If you couldn’t tell from the rankings, the NFC South should be ultra-competitive in 2013. Obviously this is only a fraction of the rosters, but it goes to show how spread out the top talent in the division truly is.

What do you think of the rankings? Let us know in the comments section below or yell at us on Twitter @whodatdish or  on Facebook.