The New Orleans Saints are reportedly kicking the tires on a pair of Pro Bowlers that are still surprisingly available in NFL free agency.
The days of all notable free agents being signed to deals with current or new teams well before training camp are long over. Now, it is not at all uncommon for impact players to be signed right before or during camp. Just in the last couple of weeks, star receiver DeAndre Hopkins and talented pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue finally made their decisions for where they will play this season after weeks and months of speculation.
Furthermore, four-time Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook is still on the free-agent block and arguably could turn into one of the best players any contending team adds before the start of the 2023 season. Cook’s decision is overshadowing the interest in all the other valuable players left in NFL free agency, but it looks like the New Orleans Saints could scoop up a pair of them this week.
Kareem Hunt and Anthony Barr have free-agent visits at New Orleans Saints camp
On Monday morning, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed that one-time Pro Bowler Kareem Hunt was at Saints training camp to speak with team brass and go through workouts to see if the two sides might be a good fit for the 2023 season.
Star running back Alvin Kamara will miss the first three games of the season after he was suspended for taking part in an ugly brawl on the eve of the 2022 Pro Bowl earlier this year. The former Kansas City Chiefs star had a disappointing four-year run with the Cleveland Browns after he saw his role consistently decline due to the rise of Nick Chubb.
However, Hunt is not the only notable name visiting the Saints on Monday. Fellow ESPN NFL insider Dianna Russini claimed that four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Anthony Barr was also visiting the team in search of a contract for 2023.
Barr had an outstanding first six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. However, after tearing his pectoral in 2020, he hasn’t quite recaptured the same form of his peak seasons as he enters his ninth year in the league at 31 years old.