Top free agent targets for the New Orleans Saints: No. 5, Mohamed Sanu
By Brian Pavek
The New Orleans Saints will be seeking to improve this offseason. For starters, signing free agent wide receiver Mohamed Sanu could be a very realistic and affordable scenario.
I am as big of a fan of the idea of the New Orleans Saints drafting Laquan Treadwell, the top wide receiver in this year’s draft, as anyone. However, I’m also realistic, and the fact is that the Saints cannot afford to waste such a valuable pick on a luxury piece, especially when you consider that the same factors that make Treadwell an ideal fit for the Saints make a dozen other players fit just as well, and without the price tag.
I have nothing against him, and to be honest I think he could do some special things in black and gold, but the fact is that the New Orleans Saints organization simply cannot afford to bring him in.
That doesn’t mean that the need for a player with good size who can be a reliable weapon isn’t needed. And that is why my No. 5 free agent target for the Saints (as of right now) is Mohamed Sanu (formerly, I hope) of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sanu stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in around 210 pounds. He isn’t the type of player who will blow you away with incredible measurables such as his height, weight, and speed. However, Sanu has always been able to be a consistent producer when called upon.
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What really makes him appealing for the Saints in particular is his skill set. Sanu is not only comfortable with gadget plays, but excels at them. This would allow the Saints to bring in someone who can be used in a variety of ways, possesses both size and a proven skill set, and perhaps, most importantly, lets others stick to their strengths.
It may be that last point more than any of the others that draws me (and hopefully Sean Payton) to Sanu. I can’t count the number of times this previous season that I saw Brandin Cooks run a wide receiver screen, a reverse, or another gadget play with virtually no success.
Some of that is due to the fact the New Orleans Saints simply don’t run those plays very well, however, a lot of it comes down to the fact that Cooks simply lacks the ‘human joystick’ skill set necessary to produce on those kinds of plays.
He’s never really had it either and with him having firmly established himself as the team’s number one receiving threat, it would be best to take that ‘role’ in the offense and give it to someone who will be more productive with it. As an added bonus the threat of Cooks on the field as a field stretcher might actually make Sanu more dangerous in such situations.
The ability to be productive, fill given roles when needed, and do a little bit of everything is always valuable in Sean Payton’s system, and as we have already established, I’m a BIG believer in value.
What truly makes Sanu such a valuable (potential) free agent signing for the Saints is that he is both what they want and what they need. He can win his routes consistently, play deep, play all parts of the field, and is proven commodity for ‘gadget’ type plays as well.
Next: 10 free agent targets for New Orleans Saints
Sanu would be the rare signing who perfectly fits the offense he would be coming in to while also enhancing that offense at the same time. I don’t think Sanu is the biggest name the team should go after, but the fact that he likely can be acquired for very little and also gives you an instant producer is HUGE.