Professional football is a business, and like any other it requires tough decisions. Sometimes those choices result in valued players leaving in free agency. Fans of the New Orleans Saints have seen that happen often enough recently, with no more poignant a departure than running back Mark Ingram.
Ingram was one of the team’s few successful draft picks in the early 2010’s (he and Cameron Jordan are the only two selections from the 2011 Saints draft class still in the NFL) and he overcame some initial hurdles to round out his game, become a team leader, and flourish on offense. But a poor negotiating strategy by his agent saw the Saints cut ties with him early this summer, and now he’s with another team. Here’s an update on how Ingram and a few other recent Saints free agents are handling their new surroundings.
RB Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens
Ingram’s split with the Saints was painful and disappointing, but things are going well for him in Baltimore. He’s stepped into something of a mentoring role for young Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and other inexperienced players on offense, and offers their best threat as a runner while making life easier on Jackson as a safety valve on throws to the flat. He shouldn’t be seriously challenged for touches out of the backfield in his first year with the Ravens.
DE Alex Okafor, Kansas City Chiefs
It’s easy to see why Okafor left the Saints without much of a counter-offer: the Chiefs signed him to a three-year, $24 million contract, far more than the Saints were prepared to match. And he’s already made his impact felt with his new team, recording a sack on third down in their preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Everything is going well so far for Okafor in Kansas City, where he’s forming a strong duo on the outside with trade acquisition Frank Clark.
TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
A brief retirement ended with Watson joining the Patriots, the team that drafted him nearly two decades ago. He entered their lineup and immediately proved to be the best option to start in place of Rob Gronkowski, who is settling into his own retirement. Watson will miss the first four games of the 2019 season with a suspension, but he figures to get plenty of targets once he’s able to return. The Patriots may ease him back into action by splitting time with Matt LaCosse, another free agent pickup this offseason.
WR Tommylee Lewis, Detroit Lions
Lewis missed most of Lions training camp nursing an ankle injury, and he’s firmly on the roster bubble as a returns specialist. His appearances on offense haven’t been encouraging, with poorly-placed targets from various Lions quarterbacks proving too difficult for Lewis to adjust to. He’s been both hit in the back of the head and overthrown in equal measure, though it’s worth noting he’s received few looks with starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.
WR Willie Snead, Baltimore Ravens
Okay, sure, Snead wasn’t a free agent this year. But he was one of the biggest names to leave the Saints in 2018, and it’s worth keeping up with him — especially now that he’s teammates with Mark Ingram again. Snead has made some plays over the summer, but his most-enduring moment was ending up on the receiving end of a very weak block-in-the-back penalty, wiping out an extremely fun Lamar Jackson touchdown run in their first preseason game.
