Saints won lottery with Delvin Breaux and Willie Snead

The Saints may not be having their greatest season ever in 2015 at 5-8 through 13 games, but there are at least two bright spots that stick out in the middle of this mess — Delvin Breaux and Willie Snead.

With only three games left in the 2015 NFL regular season, there is not much for New Orleans Saints fans to be excited about. Sitting at 5-8, the Black and Gold’s chances at the postseason are a pipe dream at best. There have been so much disappointment and drama throughout the year. However, there are two bright spots that cannot be overlooked as mere diamonds in the rough. The odds on either wide receiver Willie Snead or cornerback Delvin Breaux making an NFL roster had to be astronomical considering neither player was drafted.

Breaux’s story could practically be made into a movie. He literally broke his neck on a kickoff return in high school in 2006. You read that right — he broke his neck. The New Orleans native was going to play for Les Miles and the LSU Tigers, but was never cleared to play. Somehow, Breaux eventually made it back to the football field years later in 2012 to play in the developmental league and the Arena Football League. He then made it to the CFL and played two years, earning an All-Star selection in 2014.

The Saints picked Breaux up in January from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is now becoming a full-fledged force at the cornerback position. He leads the team in interceptions and hasn’t alllowed but one catch on his watch in the last three weeks. He also has 38 tackles with 30 of those being solo. The cost for him this year is a mere $529,000. Luckily, the Saints signed him through the 2018 season for a total of $1.587 million over three years.

More from Saints News

• 3 takeaways from Saints unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason opener
• Saints 2022 Training Camp: Top 5 takeaways from Day 13
• 3 things to know about new Saints QB K.J. Costello
• Kirk Merritt could be a difficult player for the Saints to cut
• 3 players to keep an eye on in Saints vs Texans

Willie Snead was another Christmas miracle. He comes from the Mid-American Conference juggernaut, the Ball State Cardinals. Snead came out as an undrafted rookie in 2014. He was cut by the Cleveland Browns during last year’s preseason. He then went on to have an unsuccessful tryout with the New York Giants. Snead became a member of the Saints late in 2014. He has simply become a legitimate threat as well as a sure handed receiver.

Snead is third on the team with 52 catches and second with 798 yards behind only Brandin Cooks. He’s also tied with Marques Colston with three touchdowns this year. Like Breaux, the Saints did not have to break the bank on Snead either. He inked a deal for two years for $960,000. That’s a heck of a find for $480,00 a year, which pales in comparison to Marques Colston’s $36,000,000 contract over 5 years. That’s no knock on Colston, but sometimes it’s hard not to question the one in charge of some of these contracts.  Regardless, both Snead and Breaux have been exceptional players at an enormous bargain.  The Saints won the lottery there and deserve a standing ovation.