The New Orleans Saints are still hoping their championship window is open, but with Drew Brees approaching his 40s that window won’t stay open forever.
The skinny: The Saints have a potent offense that can beat you in multiple ways. However, their defense has failed to take that proverbial “next step” since improving a couple years back. If New Orleans is going to get back to the Super Bowl, then that’s the missing piece.
Limited options: The front office is going to have to make some savvy moves to make improvements. The reason? There’s not a ton of resources available for Mickey Loomis and Co.
The draft: According to Tankathon, the Saints enter the 2020 NFL Draft with one of the weakest hands to play in the league. They only have two selections in the top 100 (No. 24 and No. 88 overall). That doesn’t mean the Saints can’t land an impact player in the first round, or that they can’t land some hidden gems later in the draft.
Looking at the No. 24 overall pick, here’s a few players the Saints can target to give Brees the defense he needs to succeed.
This draft is deep with defensive talent. The Saints can absolutely land a star here with this pick. And if there is an early run at quarterback, as many mock drafts suggest could happen, they may end up with a steal.
Free agency: With so little cash to spend, the Saints will have some big decisions to make with their current roster and won’t necessarily be able to make a huge splash. With that in mind, here’s a look at some players that may fit into their situation and provide big-time help.
There are a ton of free agents, an sometimes it’s the guys you never even saw coming that makes the biggest difference. The Saints do have less to work with than many other franchises, but it may not be as dire as it seems.
The bottom line: Assuming Brees does come back to New Orleans in 2020, the Saints have a team that’s clearly still among the league’s best. But until the defense can take a big step forward, this team is likely going to be stuck below the top tier. Thankfully, even without a ton of resources to exhaust, the Saints can make moves to improve.