The New Orleans Saints must upgrade the left guard spot this offseason, with longtime starter Andrus Peat expected to walk away in free agency. They have a few options on the roster already — veteran Nick Easton, signed last year, has to be the favorite — but otherwise only a couple of inexperienced reserves are on hand, like Will Clapp and Cameron Tom (if he re-signs, being a restricted free agent).
Unfortunately, the 2020 free agent crop isn’t very deep, largely made up of backups looking for their big break. The Saints will probably need to make a big splash if they want to improve. We’ll break the group into tiers following the same general standards from an earlier post discussing free agent options at wide receiver.
Bank-Breakers ($8 million or more per year)
- Brandon Scherff, Washington Redskins
- Joe Thuney, New England Patriots
- Graham Glasgow, Detroit Lions
Scherff is the brightest star in this group, and rightly so: when healthy, there aren’t many blockers who can match him in pass protection. But Scherff has missed 15 games in the last three years, and was limited to just 11 appearances last season while managing elbow and shoulder injuries. He would have to slide back to the left side, his college position, after playing right guard in the NFL.
Enter Thuney, the Patriots stalwart who hasn’t missed a game in four years. Thuney has started predominately at left guard, though he’s played right tackle in a pinch. He’s been graded highly in both pass protection and run blocking, and would be a terrific fit with the Saints. The only concern is that the Patriots rarely let great players like him walk away.
Glasgow is an interesting prospect with experience at both guard and center. He’s developed into a nice blocker who rarely blows his assignments or gets dinged with penalties. The question is whether the Saints would be willing to overpay him in what’s looking like a top-heavy market for guards.
Ballers for a Budget ($4 million to $7 million per year)
- Austin Blythe, Los Angeles Rams
- B.J. Finney, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Quinton Spain, Buffalo Bills
Blythe struggled with shoulder injuries in 2019, which impacted his play and forced him to undergo surgery on both shoulders once the season ended. But before that he played well at both center and guard, and his loss would hurt continuity along the Rams offensive line, which would be good for the Saints (it’s always great to leave collateral damage for conference rivals to deal with). However, his significant injury history has to give suitors pause.
Spain is intriguing. He signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Bills and turned in a great performance. He rarely missed a snap, didn’t allow a single sack, and was only flagged a few times. But he graded out much better as a pass protector than as a run blocker, and the Bills are determined to be a run-first squad, so he’s probably on the outs. He’d be an affordable option for the Saints.
Now we’re getting into the backups looking to compete for a starting gig. That’s where Finney’s career has taken him; he started just four games in 2019 for the Steelers, but has played well in the past at center and both guard spots. The question the Saints (and other teams) must ask is whether he’ll continue to shine in a more-prominent role.
Bargain Bin Finds ($3 million or less per year)
- Michael Schofield, Los Angeles Chargers
- Earl Watford, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Xavier Su’a Filo, Dallas Cowboys
Schofield has predominately played right guard, but he also has experience at tackle and could be a versatile backup. The downside is that he probably isn’t much of an upgrade over Easton, who the Saints already have in the building.
Watford was on his third team in as many years, but turned in a solid performance as a pass blocker and middling results on the ground. He could probably be expected to return to Tampa Bay on a low-cost deal, but it also wouldn’t be a big shock if a better team brought him in as a theoretical upgrade.
Su’a-Filo has backed up both guard spots the last two years in Dallas, and could be ready for another shot as a starter after flopping with the Houston Texans early in his career. He’s graded out well enough, doing his best work in pass protection, but a season-ending ankle injury could be something to consider.
