The New Orleans Saints lost one defensive starter in linebacker A.J. Klein (who agreed to terms on a deal with the Buffalo Bills) and retained another in defensive lineman David Onyemata (on a three-year, $27 million extension), but their work is far from finished. Pending free agent safety Vonn Bell is receiving interest from both the Saints and the Carolina Panthers, as first reported by ESPN’s Josina Anderson. Nola.com’s Amie Just confirmed the report.
Losing Bell would be a big blow to the stout Saints run defense, which boasts the NFL’s longest active streak of 43 games played without allowed a 100-yard rusher. The strong safety has excelled in several different roles, remaining disciplined in his run fits while producing well as a blitzing pass rusher. He also led the NFL in fumble recoveries last year and recorded his first interception.
It’ll be fascinating to see what kind of offers Bell receives, both from the Saints and other teams like the Panthers. Box safeties who lack consistent ball skills aren’t valued as highly as the ballhawking free safeties, and his ceiling might settle around $8 million per year (with a floor in the range of $5 million annually). Now that the Saints have already paid a nice extension to Onyemata, it’s fair to wonder whether that decision will end up looking like an “either/or” call between their defensive tackle and the strong safety.
If Bell does move on, the logical replacement for him would be second-year pro C.J. Gardner-Johnson (who went by Chauncey in college). Gardner-Johnson was a constant source of big plays for the Saints last season in a variety of roles, filling in for Bell when he was injured while also handling coverage duties in the slot when the Saints were spread thin. Gardner-Johnson is even more of an impact player than Bell in run defense (often looking like a linebacker thanks to his polished form on tackles) and has already shown a knack for making plays in coverage. If the Saints aren’t able to re-sign Bell, at least they have a stellar backup plan.
