5 bargains Saints can target after opening wave of free agency

3. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

The Saints haven’t had much luck trying to find solid guards on their offensive line, as both Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz have left little to be desired. If New Orleans doesn’t feel that Ruiz is the answer moving forward, they could bring in Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to compete with him for the starting right guard spot and see if that lights a fire under Ruiz.

Duvernay-Tardif is most known for also being a doctor. In fact, he opted out of the 2020 season so that he could help out during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before that, he spent five years as the starting right guard in Kansas City, winning a Super Bowl with them in the 2019 season. After opting out in 2020, the Chiefs tried to find other options at right guard and hit the jackpot with Trey Smith in the sixth round in last year’s draft. Smith beat LDT for the starting job and that led to the Chiefs shipping the Canadian native off to the Jets midway through the 2021 season.

LDT might decide he wants to move to the medical field full-time but if he’s willing to come back for a seventh NFL season, New Orleans should reach out to him. As mentioned above, he could provide competition for Ruiz, who might show a little more fire if he knows the starting job won’t just be handed to him.