Saints officially in the mix for a top free agent that would be the perfect signing

Through the first two days of the legal tampering period, things have been pretty quiet for the New Orleans Saints. However, that silence shouldn’t be mistaken for inactivity, because New Orleans is reportedly trying to pull of a major move that would address one of the team’s top offseason needs.

On Tuesday, it was reported that free agent edge defender Chase Young plans to visit the New Orleans Saints. In addition to New Orleans, Young has visits scheduled with the Carolina Panthers and the Tennessee Titans. Making the visit list is a sign that the Saints are in the mix of the few teams that could actually land Young.

New Orleans now needs to close the show and actually sign him. The Saints can’t afford to miss out, especially since they are competing with the Panthers, who just traded away Brian Burns.

Chase Young to visit with Saints

An edge rusher is a top need for a New Orleans team that struggled to get after the quarterback in 2023. The Saints had only 34 sacks last season, ranking them 28th in the NFL. Everyone knows that a key to winning in the NFL is a quality pass rush that can close out games. The abscence of that in New Orleans is part of why the Saints lost so many close games this past season.

Chase Young, who was selected with the second-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, could change that. The 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowler has recorded 7.5 sacks in both seasons that he’s played more than 10 games— that would be his rookie season and this past season. In the two years in between, Young played a total of 12 games over two seasons, recording just 1.5 sacks, while dealing with a devastating knee injury.

Since the injury, some have argued that Chase Young isn’t the same, however, the reality is that he’s still a productive defender that hasn’t even turned 25 years old yet. It’s not hard to understand why several teams want to sign him. For the Saints, he’ll address one of the biggest needs and could also be a long-term solution because of his age. Additionally, he could be an affordable option as well, as he may be willing to sign a prove-it deal, setting himself up for an even bigger pay day in the future.

Whatever kind of deal he’s hoping to sign, the New Orleans needs to provide it and land Chase Young.

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