Uneventful NFL trade deadline should be a positive for Saints

The New Orleans Saints were one of the few teams to make a move at the trade deadline, and for them, the uneventful deadline should be a small win.

There’s no denying many were expecting the league to be set on fire the same day the country was. Well, the former didn’t happen as the trade deadline was rather quiet — something that should be a positive sign for the Saints.

The Saints dealt a conditional fifth-round pick and Kiko Alonso for San Francisco 49ers’ linebacker Kwon Alexander, and he was somehow one of the headline deals. No Will Fuller, no Stephon Gilmore — big-name stars were not dealt and teams didn’t vastly improve their roster.

Coming into the season, the Saints were one of the league’s premier NFC teams. After getting trumped by the Raiders in the opening of Allegiant Stadium, the Saints took on Green Bay, another loss.

They dropped to 1-2 and didn’t look like the team many had thought they’d be. The Saints have since rattled off four straight victories. All four were one-score wins, and the team has trailed in all seven of their games, a few causes for concern.

It hasn’t been an easy season by any means, but now we know who the competition will be moving forward. There will be several additions and subtractions as we’ve already seen with wide receiver Dante Pettis being waived.

That said, teams like Green Bay, Los Angeles, and Arizona didn’t improve much. The Seahawks did add Carlos Dunlap from Cincinnati, a notable move. Seattle will be considered one of the top threats in the NFC.

Their defense is certainly their weak point. They knew it, we knew it, and, in an effort to compete at the highest level, they decided to try to shore up their line. Another big trade was the Titans acquiring Chargers cornerback Desmond King.

The deadline was quiet, and after it has passed, the Saints still remain among the best teams in the NFL — a positive for New Orleans, a team on the verge of dropping off the map early in the season.