Emmanuel Sanders signs with Bills, continuing to hurt Saints depth

Before even being officially released former New Orleans Saints wideout Emmanuel Sanders had already found a new home.

Emmanuel Sanders will round out quite an impressive stable of receivers for Buffalo most likely filling the  No.2 receiver role, allowing slot dynamo Cole Beasley to work inside while speed demon Stefon Diggs works the opposite side of the field. For the Saints, it’s again another show of what cap issues can force a team to do.

This looks to be a nice signing for Buffalo taking advantage of the Saints cap situation to sign a player that might not be available otherwise.

Sanders looks to have plenty left in the tank even entering his age 34 season. Last year Sanders racked up 61 receptions for 726 yards and 5 touchdowns while dealing with a revolving quarterback situation in The Big Easy.

Those are pretty good numbers for a receiver that was at a glance, underutilized for New Orleans in 2020. Sanders excels as a downfield threat, something that Drew Brees just wasn’t able to get back as father time did his damage to the legendary quarterback’s arm strength.

Sanders will still need to fly to western New York and pass a physical to finalize any deal. The contract is being reported as a 1-Year, $6 million deal with an extra $500,000 in incentives per Adam Schefter.

This was an expected cut for the Saints who have been fighting the battle against a staggering negative cap number during a rare year where the salary cap was cut by over $10 million. The Saints will look to replace sanders with a younger player perhaps in the emerging Marquez Callaway or a draft pick yet to be named.

The veteran Sanders will surely add leadership to a younger Bills locker room and may help Josh Allen continue to make strides as a passer and leader in the league.

Sanders brings with him an impressive list of professional accomplishments including three Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl 50 title, and two Pro Bowl selection. He was selected in the 3rd round of the 2010 NFL draft by Pittsburgh.