Saints: Andrus Peat re-signing surprised many, but it was still a good move

Peat’s abilities and promise

Peat plays multiple positions on the offensive line. In his career, he’s played every position except center. While there are a few guys in the league that can do that, most of them are not starter-quality players.

Peat may have had some less than stellar performances, but he’s still a starter quality NFL player. And his versatility makes him more valuable.

Poor health and playing out of position have been issues that also may have damaged Peat’s performance rating over the last two seasons.

Armstead had major injuries in 2016 and 2017 that necessitated Peat’s devoting some time at left tackle, including four starts there in 2017. Peat’s grades from Pro Football Focus don’t include his work at left tackle, where he is obviously not quite as strong.

In 2019, Peat was hurt and missed games. Offensive linemen often play hurt.

Sean Payton is known for paying top dollar to interior linemen. He paid big money for Jahri Evans and Carl Nicks. And it’s not likely there were any other multi-positional players of Peat’s caliber on the market to fill the spot he would leave. You’d end up having to pay two guys to fill that one spot.

All of this is to say while the number paid to Peat might be a surprise to some, knowing the Saints history, it’s not a surprise to see a guard paid like that. And while the fans may not be completely enamored with Peat, it’s obvious the coaching staff is.

Let’s assume they are more correct than we are.