While there are still a few interesting free agents remaining on the open market, the vast majority of the New Orleans Saints offseason moves have already been made. With that in mind, Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus recently released offseason grades for all 32 teams and gave the Saints a C+, even though they upgraded at quarterback and managed to retain some key pieces on offense.
PFF Gives New Orleans Saints “C+” Offseason Grade
PFF’s Rationale
Monson begins his explanation for his Saints offseason grade by talking about the quarterback upgrade. The analyst writes that “Derek Carr to the Saints was a logical move that made sense for both parties. The Saints can contend in a weak division and conference without needing to rebuild, and Carr is valuable to a team that doesn’t need him to go toe to toe with the best quarterbacks in the game weekly.”
Improving the quarterback position is the most important thing any team can do, but Monson notes that signing Carr had a few negative side effects. Monson believes that the team “hemorrhaged talent in free agency” and put a lot of faith in an unproven draft class.
The article goes on to say that rookies Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey “will need to play a lot as rookies” due to the lack of depth along the defensive line. For what it’s worth, Monson is intrigued about the Saints Day 3 picks, specifically highlighting wide receiver A.T. Perry and quarterback Jake Haener as low-risk, high-reward selections.
Saints trade up to get Wake Forest WR A.T. Perry at No. 195 ⚜️ pic.twitter.com/TS4xNuv8fD
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 29, 2023
Is This Saints Offseason Grade Justified?
Nobody is saying that the Saints had the perfect offseason, but a C+ feels rather low. At the end of the day, the NFL is a passing league, and the Saints deserve a lot of credit for upgrading the quarterback position with Derek Carr. While he’s no superstar, Carr is a top-15 passer and should be good enough to lead this team to a division title. In fact, given the Saints easy path to the playoffs, New Orleans could end up with one of the top seeds in the conference.
Additionally, New Orleans also found a way to navigate their poor salary cap situation while still keeping Michael Thomas on the payroll. It’s anyone’s guess if he can actually stay healthy, but the former second-round pick played well when on the field. Carr, Thomas, and Chris Olave have the potential to be one of the better trios in football, and should have the power to keep up with most of the opposing passing attacks.
The Saints did a lot of good things this offseason, but Monson is justified in pointing out the lack of certainty along the defensive line. New Orleans parted ways with several proven free agents, and they need their rookies to hit the ground running. Perhaps the team could sign someone like Jadeveon Clowney as a veteran stopgap, but even if they don’t, the Saints should have earned a “B” for clearing up a lot of money while still improving the offense.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew – USA Today Sports
