Analyzing the New Orleans Saints pending free agents

Overview

Really, the story of the Saints’ offseason is cutting players and finding a way to retain Winston.

As much as I’d love for New Orleans to bring back a premier safety like Marcus Williams, they simply cannot afford him due to previous poor decisions, which is quite unfortunate.

As for Trey Hendrickson, the limited value of second-tier edge rushers and his limited track record prevent me from seeing a way in which it makes sense for the Saints to re-sign.

Depth signings for the right price with James Hurst and Sheldon Rankins could make sense, and on a lower level, Ty Montgomery and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey can likely be brought back for the minimum.

All in all, be prepared for a very uninspiring offseason for the Saints in terms of their Super Bowl chances for next year. This time was always coming, however, and now, it’s time to look for the future.

Holding onto a young quarterback with upside and a track record of production, retaining cheap young depth, and opening up opportunities for younger players by adding depth capital and parting ways with veterans should be the focus.

We saw how quickly a few successful drafts (2016-2017) can turn things around, with multiple of these pending free agents playing a role in that.

Now, it is time to see if the front office can replicate that success and replenish a roster with much-needed youth at valuable positions! No matter what 2021 brings the team, however, it will certainly be much more exciting if Winston is in the fold!