The smartest move for the Saints this offseason wasn’t a player they added

While the offseason for the New Orleans Saints has been relatively quiet, they’ve made quite a few moves this offseason. Since free agency started, New Orleans has signed guys like Chase Young and Willie Gay, and other depth players, but have also made the decisions to let franchise staples like Michael Thomas and Andrus Peat walk in free agency.

However, despite all of those moves, the Saints’ smartest move of the offseason came well before free agency— at least that’s what Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report believes. In a recent piece, naming the smartest move for all 32 teams, Moton argued that hiring Klint Kubiak to be the team’s offensive coordinator was the smartest move of the offseason for New Orleans.

Klint Kubiak hire named smartest move for Saints this offseason

Moton argued that New Orleans should be able to get more out of their offense with Klint Kubiak taking over as the offensive coordinator. Highlighting the struggles the Saints had on third down and in the red zone last season under Pete Carmichael Jr., Moton reflected on Kubiak’s work with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and with the San Francisco 49ers last season to talk about what he could bring to the Saints.

"Kubiak may be able to improve the Saints' offensive scoring efficiency. In 2021, he called plays for the Minnesota Vikings offense, which finished ninth in red-zone touchdown percentage. After a year as the San Francisco 49ers' passing-game coordinator, Kubiak may be able to carry over some principles from the Niners' fourth-ranked passing offense that can help elevate Derek Carr's production."

- Maurice Moton (Bleacher Report)

Moton’s assessment of New Orleans’ offseason is correct. The Saints haven’t made many big-player signings yet; the biggest signing was on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, things have only really regressed with Andrus Peat and Michael Thomas moving on. While the Saints will likely make more signings in the rest of free agency and in the Draft, Kubiak is the piece that’s really expected to elevate the offense.

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