The biggest move of the New Orleans Saints offseason came during the eleventh hour; well, really about 9 p.m. CT on Friday night. The Saints agreed to terms on a two-year contract with free agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, landing a legitimate number-two receiving threat who can run routes across the field from Michael Thomas. For Drew Brees, this addition almost creates an embarrassment of riches.
But what does it mean for Sanders? The 33-year-old has racked up 800 or more receiving yards in five of the last six years, but he’s hardly benefited from high-quality quarterback play. Except for a few years at the end of Peyton Manning’s career, the list of passers teamed up with Sanders is aggressively mediocre.
Per Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Stats, here’s the list of quarterbacks to target Sanders since Manning hung up his cleats:
- Trevor Siemian, 168 targets
- Case Keenum, 100 targets
- Jimmy Garoppolo, 53 targets
- Joe Flacco, 44 targets
- Paxton Lynch, 32 targets
- Brock Osweiler, 29 targets
But those are just numbers attached to a list of so-so quarterback prospects. This pie chart illustrates how many targets Sanders saw from each passer over the last four years:
We don’t really need to elaborate on the problem here, digging deep into each quarterback’s failures and struggles. Just remember that each of them has suited up for different teams in recent years, with the best of the list (Garoppolo) falling to pieces on a big stage in Super Bowl LIV. The upgrade that comes from this rogue’s gallery to catching passes from Brees needs little elaboration.
One thing’s for certain: Brees and Sanders should connect early and often throughout the 2020 season. And the more dangerous that tandem becomes, the more opportunities it frees up for Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, and the other members of the Saints offense. Sanders has reached the Super Bowl with each of his previous three teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, and San Francisco 49ers), and he’ll be looking to make it four-for-four in New Orleans.
