Top free agent targets for New Orleans Saints: No. 4, Alex Boone

For the New Orleans Saints, a guard was a need long before the team made the tough decision to release veteran Jahri Evans.

Now that the New Orleans Saints have decided to move on from a player who has been nothing short of a ‘rock’ for the last decade, it’s time to shore up the guard position and ensure that the last few years of Drew Brees‘ career in the Big Easy don’t involve him running for his life.

While I fully expect the team to sign restricted free agents Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete, the reality is that neither of them are a top quality starter. With the Saints employing Max Unger and Terron Armstead, and with Andrus Peat likely taking over the right tackle position next year, the guard positions are a major priority this offseason.

It is entirely possible with the talent the Saints have on the offensive line to be able to compensate for an average guard such as Lelito, but ONLY if he is the only player on the line in that category. While I have all the love and respect in the world for Jahri Evans and what he has meant to this organization, the fact is that he simply wasn’t very good last year.

The New Orleans Saints can compensate for a single weak link on the line, but have both guard positions occupied by players who are average or below average (whether due to injuries or not) simply isn’t going to work. That is why it is my belief that Alex Boone should be a top free agent target for the Saints.

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Boone is not only proven as a high-quality guard, but he would be leaving a very dysfunctional San Francisco 49ers organization with limited offensive line talent to complement him for a team with a great deal to offer. I don’t think it would be in any way difficult to sell Boone on the prospect of blocking for a Hall of Fame quarterback like Drew Brees rather than Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert.

The appeal to Boone starting between one of the absolute best center and left tackle tandems in the NFL is obvious. What makes it an even better fit is that there is a clear (read: desperate) need for a proven guard in New Orleans right now and Boone is more likely to get a contract of higher value here in New Orleans than probably anywhere else.

Not only do the New Orleans Saints tend to value the guard position more than most teams, but their desire to build up to make one final run with Drew Brees will likely make them ‘buyers’ in this year’s free agency period. The Saints always seem to find a way to wiggle around the cap and sign ‘their guy’, and don’t expect this year to be too different.

It is true that Baltimore Ravens guard Kelechi Osemele probably is the best possible option at guard for the Saints, however, the gap between him and Boone is not enormous in my opinion. Boone not only has appeal as a tough and productive veteran, but also as a player who will not command top dollar.

Sometimes you have to ‘settle’ for option B in order to set yourself up better for the future, and in this case, option B is Boone. As great as Brees has always been at navigating the pocket and using his athleticism to extend plays, the reality is that the 37-year-old quarterback needs more help now than he did in his younger years.

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The New Orleans Saints must invest in protecting their best player and there will be few realistic options better than a proven vet like Boone, who likely has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. When a move makes great financial and tactical sense, you can call it a ‘no-brainer’, and in my opinion, the Saints signing Alex Boone to a 3-year deal is a total no-brainer.