For the NFL, March has been a wild month. Big-name players have been traded, moved teams, and retired since the start of the new league season. There’s no denying that once the new season begins, the league will appear differently.
Regretfully, the New Orleans Saints haven’t gotten much of that explosion. The Saints have had a peaceful free agency, aside from the departure of players like Michael Thomas. Chase Young, a defensive end, was the largest acquisition made by New Orleans. The best way to characterize the remaining moves is as depth pieces.
That explains the Saints’ recent collapse in the power rankings. In his post-free agency frenzy power ranking of all 32 clubs, Eric Edholm placed New Orleans at No. 25, which was a 10-spot decrease from his earlier rankings.
Edholm clarified that free agency didn’t actually harm New Orleans, but the team was unable to significantly improve its squad. He continued by saying that assistance was needed for the offensive and defensive lines as well as the wide receiver room. In order to avoid another dismal season and players like Dennis Allen and Derek Carr, Edholm stated that New Orleans needs to find help among the remaining free agents and in the draft.
It’s difficult to take issue with anything Edholm said. The good news is that a number of significant players are still available. To improve the wide receiver room, New Orleans may still sign guys like Tyler Boyd or Odell Beckham Jr. This is a very deep class of offensive tackles in the draft, and New Orleans is anticipated to choose one with the 14th overall choice in the offensive line. The Saints should be competitive the next season if they have a successful summer.
