When listing the free agent the New Orleans Saints can’t let walk out the building, Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor are the most popular options. CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles took a different path, and he’s right on point. Pereles identified Cam Jordan as a player the Saints can’t let walk.
Jordan gave the Saints a random 10.5 sack season, cashed in on all of his incentives, and dialed back the clock. Additionally, the room behind him looks a little bare. Edge rusher is already a big need for the Saints and it becomes more pressing if Jordan departs.
The natural fear is Jordan’s 2025 campaign was a flash in the pan. The edge rusher is a decade and a half into his career, so banking on him hitting double digit sacks again could be a gamble. The other side of that coin is Brandon Staley’s defense is a system that’s more beneficial to Jordan at this point of his career. It may not be 10 sacks, but he could still more production in him. Being 6.5 sacks outside of the all time top 10 could be the motivation he needs for another strong year.
Cam Jordan brings more value than being one of the faces of the Saints
When people talk about Jordan and his upcoming free agency, you’ll often hear about the amount of time he’s spent with the Saints. Jordan hasn’t been shy about his desire to play his entire career with the team that drafted him. When you spend 15 years in one place, it becomes difficult to view him in any other uniform.
However, the reason to keep Jordan with the Saints is deeper than sentimental reasons. In addition to being in New Orleans, Jordan is also coming off his best season in years. He is a valuable piece of the pass rush even if most thought Father Time had finally thwarted Jordan. Frankly, he's your second most dependable edge rusher.
The conversation could shift if free agency came after the draft, but as it stands right now, the Saints don’t have a more dependable complement to Chase Young. If the right edge rusher dropped to them, the Saints may be more willing to let Jordan walk. It’s too much of an unknown to let the team leader in sacks hit the market.
Jordan gives a solid floor until you know what additions you make. Jordan played his second lowest snap percentage of his career and wasn’t supposed to be the secondary rusher behind Young. That was supposed to be Carl Granderson.
The Saints could reasonably bring Jordan back in the same role he was intended to play last year. If everything goes right, you’ll have a better pass rush, and Jordan being one of your top two pass rushers won’t be mandatory.