Releasing Kwon Alexander is the next likely cap-saving move for Saints

The New Orleans Saints traded midseason for Kwon Alexander, and now that the offseason is here, the team will likely be forced to release him.

It would be insane to say that Kwon Alexander did not make the New Orleans Saints a more complete team.

The linebacker came in and played almost perfectly alongside Demario Davis, but Alexander’s contract is going to be a major point of controversy over the next few months given that they can release him and take on no dead cap from his contract.

Alexander filled in for Alex Anzalone. Anzalone’s play since being drafted by 2017 has just not lived up to the hype. Wisconsin’s Zack Baun also didn’t come in and immediately step into a starting role.

The 6-foot-1 former fourth-round pick, Alexander has had a pretty impressive career. He led the league in solo tackles his second season in the league.

Sadly, the part of Alexander’s game that’s been brutally hurting his value is his health. Alexander, who tore his Achilles with the Saints, just can not stay on the field, and that’s going to be a major reason why the team could move on from him.

The real thing that makes the solid linebacker easy to be released isn’t his injury-prone history but rather his contract. The Saints have saved around $30 million with the release of Nick Easton and the restructuring of Drew Brees’ contract. They’ll need more though.

Alexander could be up next. Set to make $12.55 million this coming season, Alexander would carry no dead cap if he were released and a cap hit of over $13 million if he stays with the team.

That should easily be enough for the team to let him go and pray Baun can step up or, better yet, draft a linebacker with one of their first few picks.

It’s not that Alexander was bad; he was terrific. But, combine his lack of dead cap space if released and his injury-prone history, and it feels like an easy decision for general manager Mickey Loomis.