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Biggest Saints Offseason Needs: Getting Offensive Weapons

The offseason improvement plan for the Saints includes getting better at the receiver and tight end positions. So, what does that look like for New Orleans?

John Hendrix

Getting a quarterback is most important for the Saints this offseason, but things won't stop there as they look to retool their offense. In mid-January, we looked at the team's receiving performance, noting that it was the worst output in the Sean Payton Era. The landscape is changing across the offensive staff, and most of the needs the team has revolves around that side of the ball.

The Need for Improvement

The receiving corps could look quite different in 2022, and that's not exactly a bad thing for the Saints. Marquez Callaway is returning, and an easy restricted free agent decision on Deonte Harris should be coming. Tre'Quan Smith and Ty Montgomery are both unrestricted free agents, and they could be testing the market. 

Other players returned and were brought in through reserve/future deals, but we'll wait until training camp to see what comes out of that. Honestly, that shouldn't be an area the team relies on either. The big domino to fall is Michael Thomas, who should provide a tremendous boost to the group.

Things don't just stop at the receiver spot for the Saints, as they should look at some tight end options as well. Adam Trautman was quite underwhelming after being tabbed as someone who could have a breakout season, while Juwan Johnson and Nick Vannett combined for just 22 catches. Johnson did have 4 touchdown catches, while Vannett missed over half the games in the season.

The Market

There's going to be a lot of key names set to be free agents in March. Some of that could change with the franchise tag situation, but big names presumably looking for new homes include Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Odell Beckham Jr., Chris Godwin, and Mike Williams. Beckham Jr. and Godwin are both coming off injuries, while Robinson will be looking for a good situation to rebound from a tough year in Chicago.

The next tier of receivers include the likes of Christian Kirk, Jakobi Meyers, Jamison Crowder, Will Fuller, Michael Gallup, Zay Jones, Russell Gage, Emmanuel Sanders, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Byron Pringle, A.J. Green, and Kalif Raymond. Sanders and Green are likely just going to find a yearly situation, as well as Desean Jackson.

Put it this way, 10 of the impending free agents had better yard output than Deonte Harris' No. 2 finish on the team, while seven of them finished higher than Callaway. Again, some of that could be attributed to the inconsistency at quarterback, but the Saints receivers were just underwhelming.

For the tight end group, Zach Ertz, Dalton Schultz, Mike Gesicki, and C.J. Uzomah could be appealing options to look at. Like the receivers group, Jimmy Graham and Jared Cook would be options for a year, but that means they'd both be coming back to New Orleans at the tail end of their careers. 

The Draft

Let's just say that this draft is loaded with talent at the receiver position. Assuming the team sticks with their 18th pick, then they could look at players like Treylon Burks (Arkansas), Jameson Williams (Alabama), or Chris Olave (Ohio State). 

On Day 2 and 3, they could eye players like Skyy Moore (Western Michigan) and Jalen Tolbert (South Alabama). Some personal favorites to keep an eye on from the Senior Bowl include Alec Pierce (Cincinnati), Romeo Doubs (Nevada), and Christian Watson (NDSU).

As for tight ends, Jalen Wydermyer (TAMU) and Trey McBride (Colorado State) would be the most appealing options. However, this is also a very intriguing group to watch, as some could boost their stock at the combine.

Potential Strategy

While we await to see what the team does with their quarterback situation, it shouldn't limit their approach at getting better. In a perfect world, add a higher tier and mid-to-lower tier free agent receiver at minimum to compete for No. 2 and 3 on the depth chart, and then double down by finding another in the draft. Finding strong competition at both the wide receiver and tight end positions is desirable 

Mickey Loomis and the Saints should be spenders in March, but a lot of this hinges on who takes snaps under center in 2022. Naturally, they're going to need to make room in the salary cap world, but that'll come and not limit their ability to get creative to be competitive.

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net