This offseason will be a busy one for the 2019 NFC South Champion New Orleans Saints. They currently have 24 free agents that are not under contract, roughly half of the roster. Here is a full list of those free agents, as well as some ideas of what they might do to prepare for the 2020 season.
Free Agents
Drew Brees, Quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback
Taysom Hill, Quarterback
Zach Line, Fullback
Dwayne Washington, Running back
Austin Carr, Wide Receiver
Keith Kirkwood, Wide Receiver
Andrus Peat, Guard
Cameron Tom, Guard
Patrick Omameh, Tackle
Eli Apple, Cornerback
PJ Williams, Cornerback
Johnson Bademosi, Cornerback
Justin Hardee, Cornerback
Vonn Bell, Safety
D.J. Swearinger, Safety
J.T. Gray, Safety
A.J. Klein, Linebacker
Manti Te’o, Linebacker
Stephone Anthony, Linebacker
Josh Martin, Linebacker
Noah Spence, Defensive End
David Onyemata, Defensive Tackle
Zach Wood, Long Snapper
Strengths
Running backs– New Orleans has two very solid running back options under contract for 2020. Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray are one of the best 1-2 punch backfields in the entire league.
Defensive Line– David Onyemata made 15 starts for the Saints last season, but that’s all they will potentially be losing to free agency. They have a good core locked up for another season in Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Sheldon Rankins. The Saints are in good shape at D-line.
Wide Receiver– Whether in free agency or through the draft, New Orleans needs to find a number two receiver to line up on the other side of Michael Thomas. I would call this a strength because New Orleans is not losing anyone of real value at receiver, as Kirkwood and Carr were not significant contributions to the team in 2019, combining for just one catch for nine yards. I could see the Saints being aggressive in their approach to bolster the wide receiving core. The ball is in their court here.
Weaknesses
Quarterback– Obviously, it is not ideal for all three quarterbacks to be free agents. There isn’t much doubt that the Saints will bring Drew Brees back for at least one more year. However, it is unlikely that the Saints will be able to retain Teddy Bridgewater, as he will likely get a shot to start elsewhere next season. Taysom Hill has also stated that he wants a chance to be a number one quarterback, it may be difficult for the Saints to keep him as well.
Secondary- There are seven members of the secondary (4 cornerbacks) (3 safeties) that New Orleans does not currently have under contract. Vonn Bell, PJ Williams, Eli Apple, and Justin Hardee all saw a significant amount of playing time in 2019, so the Saints will need to retain at least a couple of these guys.
Linebackers- Demario Davis led the way for the New Orleans linebacker core in 2019. After that, AJ Klein was the only significant contributor. Kiko Alonso recorded only 25 tackles, and Stephone Anthony missed nearly the entire season (1 tackle). This is another position where the Saints will have to make some significant moves.
Predicted Re-Signings
Drew Brees
AJ Klein
Andrus Peat
Vonn Bell
PJ Williams
Zach Line
J.T. Gray
Zach Wood
