Will the Saints be shoppers before the NFL’s trade deadline hits on Tuesday afternoon? Well, that’s complicated, but never say never.
The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT, which means the Saints and the rest of the 31 other teams will undoubtedly make and field some calls throughout the day. Let’s look at a few factors that could determine whether or not New Orleans would make a move and then eye potential areas and targets where they could improve.
Current Saints Cap Space: $4,244,328
This isn’t typically an issue that would hinder the Saints, as they always find a way to make things work. However, they’re going into another offseason where they’re going to have to find a way to get under the salary cap. New Orleans could do some finagling to make room for any potential player they would look to acquire. As of now, they’re roughly $70 million over in projected space.
Saints Draft Capital
The Saints currently have several picks to work with going into next offseason. That’s certainly something they could use to try to acquire a potential player. Dipping into next year’s cookie jar might not be completely ideal with a lack of mid-round picks right now, but it’s not impossible.
Their original 2nd Round pick belongs to the Eagles as part of 2022 trade with the Eagles, while the 4th Round pick is with the Jaguars as part of the Jake Haener trade. Their original 7th Round pick is with the Texans for acquiring Mark Ingram in 2021. In 2025, the Saints have their picks in all rounds except for the 7th.
New Orleans could pick up three compensatory picks in the offseason (Kaden Elliss, David Onyemata, Marcus Davenport). Those are projected to be 4th and 5th Round picks.
Where Could the Saints Improve From the Trade Deadline?
The biggest areas the Saints could get better at right now would probably be on the offensive line and edge rusher spots. There’s probably an argument to be made that they could get better at punter, but that’s not something to realistically trade for. New Orleans has 15 sacks right now as a team, with Carl Granderson leading the way with 5.5. Behind him leaves a little to the imagination with Demario Davis and Nathan Shepherd (2.0), Bryan Bresee (1.5), Alontae Taylor, Cam Jordan, and Marcus Maye (1.0), and Tanoh Kpassagnon and Pete Werner (0.5). Payton Turner is still on injured reserve, and could return towards the end of the season.
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