State of the Offseason Saints: Tight End

Despite a lot of promise and upgrades, the Saints tight end group didn't exactly stand out for the New Orleans offense.

The Saints are still going through the process of filling out their coaching needs, primarily searching for a new offensive coordinator to hopefully help bring some consistency and stability for New Orleans in 2024. Dennis Allen faces a pivotal season returning as head coach, as it feels like it might be his last opportunity to turn the ship around. 

We keep looking through each position on the Saints roster and comb through everything for the offseason. Today's focus is on the tight end group, who didn't exactly light it up this season, but certainly had their moments.

OTHER STATE OF THE SAINTS: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver

Saints Tight End Overview

Sep 10, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (83) runs after a catch against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Players Under Contract: Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau, Michael Jacobson (reserve/future), Tommy Hudson (reserve/future)

Free Agent Outlook: Jimmy Graham

Priority Level: Medium

Juwan Johnson was signed to a two-year deal last offseason in March to prevent him from hitting the market. Things looked really interesting for the Saints tight end room when they traded Adam Trautman to the Broncos during the draft, but there was a plan all along. New Orleans landed a local favorite in Foster Moreau in mid-May and then shocked everyone when they signed Jimmy Graham in late July. Naturally, we couldn't forget about Taysom Hill being roped into this group. It looked very promising, to say the least.

Unfortunately, the Saints didn't exactly get all they wanted from the tight end room in 2023. Johnson went from having everything in front of him after training camp to having a very tough start to the year. It wasn't until after the Lions game that he got challenged by the coaching staff, and he ended up putting together four strong games to close out the year. 

Saints Tight End Performance - 2023

Dec 10, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) yells after catching a pass against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

• Juwan Johnson - 37 receptions, 368 yards, 9.9 average, 4 TDs
• Taysom Hill - 32 receptions, 291 yards, 8.8 average, 2 TDs
• Foster Moreau - 21 receptions 193 yards, 9.2 average, TD
• Jimmy Graham - 6 receptions, 39 yards, 6.5 average, 4 TDs

It took the Saints a while to figure out that using Jimmy Graham was wise. Despite being active in 13 games, Graham had a career-low 171 snaps (19%). He became a legitimate red zone weapon for the offense at times down the stretch after making a lone touchdown grab in the red zone against the Packers in Week 3. 

Foster Moreau was known more for doing all the dirty work for the Saints offense, particularly in run formations. However, he did add some extra things in the receiving department in being a familiar target for Derek Carr. Many will point to the Jaguars game to encapsulate Moreau's first season with the Saints, but again, this team should have never been in that situation to begin with.

End of Season Presser Takeaways From Saints GM Mickey Loomis

It doesn't appear that Jimmy Graham will be returning to the mix after his 'It's been real N.O.' post from his airplane. Graham turns 38 in November, and the question will be whether or not he wants to keep playing football and go through another training camp. It wasn't until late July that New Orleans added him.

Taysom Hill is someone to monitor this offseason. While there's no immediate indication that he'll be on the move, he's been suggested as someone who could rejoin Sean Payton and go to the Broncos. Now, Hill's contract has $1.5 million guaranteed coming to him on Mar. 16 and is scheduled to count for $15.79 million against the Saints cap in 2024. That's 6.2% of the team's cap. 

Denver will have to figure out their mess with Russell Wilson and his impending cap mess, and they do have some draft capital (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 5th, 6th) to potentially acquire Hill. However, it all remains to be seen what will happen. Let's just say, it's plausible.

As of right now, there's not a ton of big-name free agent tight ends hitting the market, with Dalton Schultz and Hunter Henry arguably leading the pack. New Orleans could also look to the draft and develop a Day 3 pick, assuming Clancy Barone is back coaching the group. There's a few ways they can tackle the spot, but as of right now there's work to shore up the group and hopefully get more from them next season.