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The 2015 New Orleans Saints will look almost nothing like the 2014 team that limped to a 7-9 record.
Jimmy Graham has been traded to the Seahawks, Ben Grubbs has been shipped to the Chiefs, and a source tells ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler that pretty much everybody but Drew Brees and 2014 first-round pick Brandin Cooks is available.
This is one of the unintended consequences of finding yourself on the business end of salary-cap purgatory. According to OvertheCap.com, the Saints currently have $4.3 million in cap space, which ranks 31st ahead of only the Chiefs. So while there appears a strategy in New Orleans, what is it exactly?
1. Drew Brees is still a franchise QB. Brees signed a $100 million deal before the 2012 season and it runs through 2016. Even at 36, he's still playing at a high level and the hope, presumably, is that he can continue to do so until the Saints find their next franchise quarterback. Brees is set to make $18.75 million in 2015, $19.75 million in the final year of his deal, and unless the Saints have a change of heart (and they very well may, given their recent decisions to rebuild), there's every reason to think he'll earn that money.
And any concerns about losing Grubbs should be mitigated by two things: The Saints got Max Unger in the Graham trade, and this:
Chiefs actually traded for Ben Grubbs. Did they watch him last year?
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) March 12, 2015
(In case you're wondering, Grubbs ranked 32nd among all guards last season, according to ProFootballFocus.com.)
Of course, there's the issue of who will be on the receiving end of those Brees passes. Graham is now a member of the Seahawks, a development that didn't make Brees -- or his kids -- particularly happy:
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) March 11, 2015
2. Word on the street is that Kenny Stills is on the trading block. Unloading Graham and his burdensome contract make sense, at least financially. But it's less clear why the Saints would want to move Stills, a 2013 fifth-round pick who will make $585,000 in 2015 and $675,000 in 2016.
Saints apparently shopping Kenny Stills, who was second in DVOA among WR with at least 50 targets in 2014. http://t.co/MT9PuO7UD6
— Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) March 12, 2015
One theory: The Saints are looking to flip Stills for a draft pick, which they can use to address other needs. An addendum to that theory: Perhaps the team thinks that Brees doesn't need top-flight playmakers to have success in much the same way we've seen Tom Brady put up Brady-like numbers without the 2007 versions Randy Moss or Wes Welker running routes.
Our counter (and yes, we realize we're arguing with ourselves at this point): Yes, Brady is still very good without top-notch receivers, but those Patriots teams were never threats to win the whole thing. Then again, the Saints were 7-9 last season; maybe a winning record and a playoff appearance are more than acceptable if this team is truly rebuilding.
3. Still, this ain't the Jaguars' offense. Even with Graham gone and Stills may not be far behind, the Saints still have running back Mark Ingram, whom they signed to a four-year, $16 million deal earlier this month. Ingram had his best season in 2014, and since he hasn't been overused during his career, there's no reason to think he won't continue to play at a high level. There's also Marques Colston, a Brees favorite who will get more looks now that Graham is gone, and the aforementioned Cooks, who showed glimpses of big-play ability before an injury cut short his rookie season.
The Saints are reportedly interested in Reggie Bush and C.J. Spiller, similar backs who are arguably more adept as pass catchers than rushers.
4. Then there's that defense. Maybe one of the biggest offseason developments -- heading into free agency, anyway -- was that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan wasn't fired. The Saints' defense ranked 31st, according to Football Outsiders (27th against the pass, dead last against the run). And while there's still plenty of work to do, the Saints signed cornerback Brandon Browner, who will play opposite Keenan Lewis. That gives Ryan two big, physical corners, though it's worth pointing out that Browner isn't afraid to break the rules.
Brandon Browner signs in New Orleans, guaranteeing Roddy White at least four DPI calls next year.
— Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) March 12, 2015
Whatever, it's better than the alternatives, which included Patrick Robinson, Terrence Frederick or Brian Dixon at various points last season. Two other things worth remembering: Jairus Byrd, one of the NFL's best safeties, is healthy, which hopefully signals that embattled former first-round safety Kenny Vaccaro will see his play improve.
And because of the Graham trade, the Saints now have two first-round picks in the upcoming draft, Nos. 13 and 31. According to the most recent CBSSports.com mock drafts, New Orleans would use those selections on defensive end Shane Ray and cornerback Trae Waynes (at 13th overall), and wideouts Breshad Perriman and Phillip Dorsett or defensive end Eli Harold (at 31st overall).
Whatever happens, the point remains: The Saints have options.
