New Orleans Saints: 3 players to let walk in free agency

Guard, Andrus Peat:

Andrus Peat was selected in the first round by the Saints back in 2015 with the No. 13 overall pick. Peat has been a pretty solid lineman, but only when he’s on the field. Over his five year career, Andrus Peat has missed 15 games due to injury- that’s almost one full season.

He also struggles a bit with holding penalties throughout his career likely due to lack of actually being on the field. This year, Andrus missed six games with a broken arm and it honestly seemed like the Saints didn’t miss a beat while he was gone.

Newly acquired lineman Nick Easton filled in perfectly and proved that he should be the guy going forward. Peat allowed three sacks in 2019 and had three penalties. Also, his missed block is the reason Drew Brees was drilled by Aaron Donald and had to miss five games with a thumb injury.

His Pro Football Focus Grade ranked worst on the team amongst starters with a 49.7 grade. Despite all that, Peat is still likely to be treated as one of the better linemen in the 2020 free-agent class and will likely be paid accordingly.

The Saints would not be wise to try to match any offers and should instead move forward with Nick Easton at the position.