The New Orleans Saints should be buyers, not sellers, in the final 24 hours leading up to the NFL trade deadline. They have one of the best records in the league at 7-1, and a roster stocked with talent in all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. If the Saints do make a trade before Tuesday’s deadline, they’ll probably be looking to get better by adding an upgrade, not stockpile future assets that won’t help them win a Super Bowl this year.
But what if they are sellers? With just five picks in next year’s draft, they’ll have to get creative to continue sustaining their success. If they do entertain offers, which players could they move? Which position groups are deepest, and can afford to take a hit? We aren’t suggesting any of these players will get traded or calling for it to happen (again, expect the Saints to add someone new, if they do anything at all), but here’s the list of prospects who could bring back value in a potential trade. Instead, we looked at the depth chart, salary cap outlook, and recent trades around the league to find players who might draw attention.
Before we begin, and because people have suggested it on social media: no, Teddy Bridgewater is not someone the Saints would consider moving. Nor should they. How can anyone have watched the first few months of the season unfold and reach that conclusion? Ridiculous.
G/C Nick Easton
As far as free agent busts go, Easton doesn’t make much of an impression in recent Saints history. The team is still cutting checks for Kurt Coleman and Coby Fleener, and isn’t too far removed from doing the same for Brandon Browner, Jairus Byrd, and C.J. Spiller. So Easton being a healthy inactive for five of the first eight games isn’t too bad, and the Saints can easily get out of his contract next year. But given the sad state of offensive line play around the league, there should be some team out there who could use his help, and wouldn’t it be smart to try and find a trade partner before the Saints cut Easton next offseason? He’s buried behind backups like Will Clapp and Patrick Omameh, and wouldn’t really be missed.
CB P.J. Williams
Williams’ two-week suspension couldn’t have come at a worse time for him. Rookie defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson has stepped into the starting lineup in his place and played well, giving up a combined 24 yards in two games with the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals. It’s going to be tough to keep the rookie off the field when Williams returns. There’s many teams out there with bad cornerbacks playing a lot of snaps (see: the Philadelphia Eagles). Williams is a free agent next March and the Saints already have his replacement playing well. Maybe they can move him now to a team that can use him, picking up draft capital along the way.
DT David Onyemata
Here are two true statements: the defensive line is the deepest position group the Saints have this year, and Onyemata will be a free agent in a few months. Onyemata has been critical to the Saints’ success early in the season, starting games next to nose tackle Malcom Brown on top of the interior line rotation. But he took a backseat in Week 8, and played fewer snaps (20) than both Sheldon Rankins (31, unsurprising as a starter returning from injury) and Shy Tuttle (21, a surprisingly high number for the undrafted rookie). If the Saints got the right offer (an accomplished pass catcher, or maybe a second-round draft pick), they might be willing to part ways with Onyemata and let another team pay him the big contract he deserves. They have the defensive line depth to remain competitive without him.
LB A.J. Klein
This one would be a stretch, but it’s not impossible to see happening. Klein is entrenched as the number-two linebacker on the depth chart, running with the nickel defense next to Demario Davis, but Kiko Alonso (who the Saints acquired in a trade earlier this season) is starting to eat into his snap counts. Alonso is a better athlete and an experienced starter in the NFL, and it’s easy to see the vision of Alonso replacing Klein should the Saints not re-sign him when his contract expires next March. There’s no doubt the Saints are better with Klein than without him, but wouldn’t it make sense if they were able to get a good pick for him now rather than let him walk away without compensation in a few months? Especially with his replacement already in the building.
G/T Andrus Peat
The likelihood of Peat getting traded has faded by the day, and it’s a testament to how well he’s been playing lately. He was the leading blocker on several big runs by Latavius Murray against the Cardinals, and has improved in his ability to crash down on blocks out in space. This late in the season, it’s unlikely the Saints trade him away, especially with the possibility of injury-prone left tackle Terron Armstead missing time. The most-likely expectation would be Peat getting a big payday in free agency from a team in bad need of help at left tackle, a high-demand position in which he’s passable (but better at left guard, where the Saints play him). The $9.625 million the Saints are paying him on his fifth-year option this season will be the floor, not the ceiling, of what he can earn on the open market.
CB Patrick Robinson
Of everyone on this list, Robinson’s potential trade value feels most-likely — if he’s healthy. Robinson limped off the field with a hamstring injury two weeks ago against the Bears and hasn’t practiced since. Before that, he was regarded as one of the better slot defenders around the league when the Saints reunited with him in 2018, only for a broken ankle to end his season. The hamstring issue hopefully won’t linger, but with Gardner-Johnson playing well and P.J. Williams back in the fold, the Saints can afford to move him if a team is interested. Before he injured his hamstring, he was limited to special teams appearances (77 snaps on punts and kickoffs, against just 10 plays on defense).
DE Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson recently returned from a neck injury, and immediately made an impact against the Cardinals with two near-sacks of rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. He’s a disruptive rusher with some speed off the snap, and it’s easy to see another team viewing him as the next Shaquil Barrett. Hendrickson is in the third year of his rookie contract and playing well behind Marcus Davenport across from Cameron Jordan, but the Saints have a similar player in Carl Granderson who could take those snaps. It would have to take a really strong offer to pry Hendrickson away — is a third-round pick next year worth more than an effective third-down pass rusher in a Super Bowl year? Probably not.
