New Orleans Saints: Team should sell, not buy at upcoming trade deadline

Players the Saints could trade away

So, who could the Saints trade away? For such a talented roster, you’d expect more potential trade chips, but when you’re trying to improve the future while remaining competitive, it is more difficult to do so.

If Payton isn’t sold on him as the team’s next starting quarterback, Winston would be the most logical team.

With Baker Mayfield dealing with an injury, the Cleveland Browns would be a logical trade partner, while the Steelers, Rams, 49ers, and other contenders could use insurance from their backup quarterback position.

After that, interior defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins ought to be on the trading block. As a former first-round pick, his reputation may garner more trade interest than his production indicates he should.

When you add in the fact that he is likely to depart as a free agent next offseason and the team has a lot of defensive line depth, then all signs indicate that he’s likely to be traded.

If New Orleans really wants to add some draft capital, how about young defensive players Marcus Davenport, Marcus Williams, or Marshon Lattimore?

Davenport is more of a rotational edge rusher with Trey Hendrickson supplanting him on the depth chart, Williams is in the final year of his contract, and Lattimore is similar to Rankins in that he could yield much more than his production warrants; he also is due for a contact extension that the Saints cannot afford to give him.

Outside of that, veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Janoris Jenkins could be thrown on the trading block, as they aren’t apart of the team’s future outlook.