The New Orleans Saints offense hasn’t been itself lately. They’ve been in a slump, even before Teddy Bridgewater took over for Drew Brees after his injury. Going back to last year’s loss against the Dallas Cowboys, the offense has averaged 18.9 points per game, and scored more than 30 points in just two of their last eleven games. The defense and special teams have stepped up in a big way to help shoulder the load, but it’s very difficult to sustain that kind of strategy.
And the problem lies with personnel. For decades, Brees has been able to elevate the talent around him and set records with players ranging from undrafted rookies to career backups. But he’s not even under center right now, and when he has been active, the Saints have let him down by not fielding NFL-quality receiving talent.
There isn’t a better example than last year’s NFC championship game. The Saints have two elite pass-catchers in wide receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara, and they’re usually enough to get the job done. But the Los Angeles Rams were able to contain Thomas to just 36 receiving yards (the third-lowest total of his career) and keep Kamara out of the end zone, forcing Brees to target unlikely heroes like Dan Arnold, Garrett Griffin, and Tommylee Lewis in critical moments. Arnold dropped a touchdown pass (and is currently on the practice squad), Griffin caught two throws for a dozen yards and a score (and is on the injured reserve list right now), and Lewis fell victim to the infamous non-call (and isn’t with an NFL team right now). The Saints won’t make it to another Super Bowl when they’re dialing up plays for players who are fringe talents to even make the roster.
Thomas, Kamara, and the misfits behind them are enough to get the Saints to the playoffs. But it’s tough to see the Saints making it to another Super Bowl when teams are able to match up well against them. New Orleans badly needs another weapon to step up; they hoped it would be tight end Jared Cook, but he’s been a free agent bust so far. Here’s six possible options the Saints can look to that are already on the roster, waiting out there in free agency, or possibly available in a trade. We’ll rank the candidates from realistic to ridiculous.
Ted Ginn Jr.
The single player most-likely to help the Saints out is Ginn, who’s already shown he can do it back in 2017. Ginn had the best numbers of his career in receptions per game (3.5), receiving yards per game (52.5), and catch rate (75.7%) while connecting with Brees all over the field, both vertically and on middling-distance crossers and comebacks.
So why isn’t Ginn the go-to answer right now? The problem is that Brees hasn’t had the arm to hit him in stride deep downfield, and Ginn’s signature shaky hands-catching ability has hurt his rapport with Bridgewater. Ginn has had to work his way back to underthrown passes from Brees too often, including the 41-yard pass Brees hit him with back in Week 1. Bridgewater’s only interception on the year came when Ginn dropped a well-placed pass that hit him in both hands down the sideline.
Maybe Bridgewater finds the gumption to start start giving Ginn chances downfield, and shows he has the arm strength to put the ball in Ginn’s hands while he’s running in stride. On the other hand, maybe Ginn is who he is at this point in his career, as someone who can run fast and not catch reliably. Right now, this is the best bet Saints fans have to hope with.
Tre’Quan Smith
Smith suffered an untimely ankle injury in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams, derailing a promising start to his second season. He’s caught all five targets sent his way (the first three from Brees, the last two from Bridgewater) to gain 75 yards and score a touchdown, running his routes with more confidence and showing greater physicality than fans saw in his rookie year. He returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, which is encouraging.
If Smith can return soon, he’d give the Saints another option to compliment Thomas and help stretch the field, while offering upside on wide receiver screens as a run-after-catch threat. But he’s probably still at least a week away while continuing to recover from a painful ankle injury.
The concern is that Smith is still very much a work in progress. He’s still fully realizing his fit and potential within the Saints offense, even outside of the delay he’s experiencing in a return from injury. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be a consistent producer once he’s recovered regardless of who’s playing quarterback. At the same time, there’s no doubt that Smith is an ascendant talent. He’s been in the Saints’ plans so far, and should remain there. It’s just a question of how long they have to wait for him to reach his potential.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Humphrey has taken the field in some very interesting alignments since being promoted from the practice squad. He’s got the physical tools to excel as a big-bodied slot receiver (his role in college), and the Saints have often deployed him in that spot. But they’re also lining him up tight to the formation as a stand-up tight end off the line of scrimmage, giving him chances to draw coverage from defensive ends and pass-rush linebackers.
If the Saints stick with that plan, it’s going to turn into scoring opportunities. Back in 2013, the Saints used this same plan to match Kenny Stills up against Buffalo Bills pass rusher Jerry Hughes. Stills won the matchup easily, outracing Hughes to sprint untouched into the end zone on a 69-yard touchdown pass. Sooner or later, Humphrey will be put in the same position.
The issue here is that Humphrey is very low on the depth chart. He was only promoted to the active roster after Smith was injured, and his snap counts have trailed Thomas, Ginn, and never-targeted Austin Carr during Smith’s absence. He has to either start making plays in games or show coaches a lot in practice to avoid demotion to the practice squad.
Dez Bryant
Bryant said earlier this year that he’s targeting a mid-October return from Achilles injury, and all signs point to that remaining the expectation. And it wouldn’t hurt the Saints to give him another shot after his two-day stint last season. Even if he’s on the wrong side of 30 and coming back from a year-ending injury, Bryant has a stronger resume than every receiver on the roster besides Thomas.
Saints coach Sean Payton said last year that the vision for Bryant in his offense would be based around short-yardage power plays where Bryant could use his size and physicality to abuse smaller opponents. There’s still room for that kind of presence in New Orleans. Even if Bryant isn’t making consistent plays deep downfield, anything he can do to command attention from the defense would create opportunities for his teammates.
From a financial perspective, the Saints can easily fit Bryant under the salary cap. He signed a one-year contract at near-veteran’s minimum last season, and wouldn’t have any room to bargain for something more this time around. He’d be a low-risk, high-reward signing for New Orleans.
A.J. Green
Here’s where things get weird. Green is managing an ankle injury that’s kept him sidelined for weeks; meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals have trailed off of NFL relevance under first-year coach Zac Taylor. They’ll soon begin the process of reevaluating their team from the top down, and Green has to be someone they take a hard look at. He’s in the final year of his contract and has nothing to gain by re-signing with Cincinnati next year. If the Bengals are smart, they’ll try to trade him to recoup assets.
Like other players on this list, Green’s injury status raises questions about how much he can help right now. There’s no doubting his ability — he’s caught 63 touchdown passes, largely with Andy Dalton at quarterback. Once he’s healthy (which Adam Schefter of ESPN reported could be at least two more weeks), Green would form a terrific one-two punch with Thomas.
If all things were equal, the Bengals would be in position to ask for a first-round pick for Green. But they aren’t. Green is hurt, 31 years old, and in the final year of his contract. Any team that trades for him will take on about $9.1 million in his remaining salary for the 2018 season, which the Saints can afford by working out a contract extension and restructure with someone like Brees ($22.7 million cap hit), Terron Armstead ($15.8 million), or Demario Davis ($8.5 million).
Stefon Diggs
Alright, here’s the gold standard. Something is happening between Diggs and the Minnesota Vikings; their run-first offense built around Dalvin Cook has started to slow down, and Kirk Cousins isn’t good enough to carry them through the air, meaning Diggs is often running for nothing. He’s avoided media availability sessions and missed several days of practice this week in something of a silent protest before reporting for work on Thursday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Vikings are “adamant he is not available for a trade, barring some massive deal.”
That caveat is important. It means that, yes, Diggs is available for a trade. Teams just need to pay the right price. But how much would that be?
Considering the Vikings just signed Diggs to a multiyear extension, it’ll take a big trade package to wrest him away, no matter how frustrated he’s become with the direction of the team. He’s a 25-year-old in the second year of a $72 million contract who has averaged 873 receiving yards in his first four seasons. He peaked in 2018 with 1,021 yards and nine touchdown catches, and is in the prime of his career.
The closest example teams can look for in trade compensation would be Odell Beckham Jr., who the New York Giants moved a year into his big contract extension in exchange for a first-round pick, third-round pick, and a starting-quality player. If the Saints made that kind of offer, it would be tough for the Vikings to turn it down — how much longer can they justify paying Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Kyle Rudolph so well when their $84 million quarterback won’t even try to throw to them?
Realistically speaking, tensions will probably ease between Diggs and the Vikings, and they’ll get back to winning football games. This is the last entry in this list because it’s the most far-fetched. But we’re not here for realism, we’re here to speculate about how fun the Saints trading for Diggs would be.
As far as the salary cap is concerned, the Saints can afford Diggs. By converting most of his remaining 2019 salary into a signing bonus, they can get him on the books at somewhere around $2 million, though his future cap hits will be considerable. It would add another variable into their plans for other young stars who need to be paid soon like Alvin Kamara, Eli Apple, Vonn Bell, and David Onyemata.
Whatever happens next will introduce new challenges for the Saints. But that’s nothing new. This team has Super Bowl aspirations, and they’re in position to reach that goal with an upgrade at a critical position. Do we really want to see Brees struggling to work with more undrafted rookies in the playoffs again?
