One Free Agent The Saints Should Sign From Every Team: AFC East
The new NFL league year begins March 14th and that's when free agency officially begins and teams can begin wheeling and dealing.
For the New Orleans Saints, they don't have a ton of cap room to work with but that can be adjusted with restructuring contracts, cutting players, or trades which the team will do.
Leading up to the free agency frenzy we'll take a look division by division at every team's free agents and which would best fit with the Saints.
Today we're beginning with the AFC East:
New England Patriots
Unrestricted free agents
- CB Jason McCourty
- CB Eric Rowe
- DE John Simon
- DE Trey Flowers
- DT Danny Shelton
- DT Malcolm Brown
- DT David Parry
- K Stephen Gostkowski
- LB Albert McClellan
- LB Ramon Humber
- OC Brian Schwenke
- OT Ulrick John
- OT Trenton Brown
- OT LaAdrian Waddle
- OT Tony Adams
- P Ryan Allen
- TE Dwayne Allen
- WR Cordarrelle Patterson
- WR Chris Hogan
- WR Phillip Dorsett
- WR Riley McCarron
A major position of need for New Orleans is the wide receiver position and New England has three that could peak the interest of the Saints. I'm looking at Philip Dorsett first and foremost as someone who has been linked to the Saints in the past coming out of the 2015 draft. He's fallen well short of the lofty expectations that come with being drafted in the first round as he's never amassed more than 528 yards receiving in a season during his career.
Another wide-out that I could see Sean Payton having some interest in is Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson isn't your run of the mill receiver, he was at his best when he was utilized in creative ways while with New England and of course as a kick returner. Payton is known to be very creative with his players, hi Taysom Hill, and Patterson can be used as a wide receiver, running back or on special teams in a variety of ways. Just imagine being an opposing special teams coach having to worry about Taysom Hill and Cordarrelle Patterson...
New York Jets:
Unrestricted free agents
- CB Morris Claiborne
- CB Buster Skrine
- CB Darryl Roberts
- DE Mike Pennel
- DE Brandon Copeland
- DT Steve McLendon
- DT Henry Anderson
- FS Terrence Broks
- FS Rontez Miles
- K Jason Myers
- LB Neville Hewitt
- LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
- LB Josh Martin
- LB Jeremiah Attaochu
- LB Emmanuel Lamur
- OC Jonotthan Harrison
- OG James Carpenter
- OG Dakota Dozier
- OT Benjamin Ijalana
- OT Brent Qvale
- QB Josh McCown
- RB Bilal Powell
- TE Neal Sterling
- TE Clive Walford
- WR Jermaine Kearse
- WR Andre Roberts
- WR Rishard Matthews
I believe the Saints will lose a couple of corners this free agency and the draft is not flush with depth at that particular position. With that being said I think going after a guy like Morris Claiborne would be a good idea. Patrick Robinson will return from injury this season and will be your slot corner. The addition last season of Eli Apple was solid but New Orleans could use some depth and that's where Claiborne would come in handy. He's just 29 years old and has been productive enough throughout his career with the Cowboys and the Jets.
Buffalo Bills:
Unrestricted free agents
- OG Ryan Groy
- OG John Miller
- RB Taiwan Jones
- OT Jordan Mills
- WR Deonte Thompson
The Bills don't have a ton to offer as far as free agents go so for them I think it would be advantageous to take a peek at offensive linemen like Ryan Groy, John Miller or Jordan Mills. None of these players would be in line to start but they would add much-needed depth to the line.
Miami Dolphins:
Unrestricted free agents
- DE Cameron Wake
- DE William Hayes
- DT Evander Hood
- DT Sylvester Williams
- LB Stephone Anthony
- OC Tavis Swanson
- OC Wesley Johnson
- OT Ja’Wuan James
- OT Sam Young
- QB Brock Osweiler
- QB David Fales
- RB Frank Gore
- RB Brandon Bolden
- TE MarQueis Gray
- TE A.J. Derby
The big name that stands out on this list is that of Cameron Wake at defensive end. He's 37 years old but was still productive last season as he accounted for six sacks, 36 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 17 quarterback hits. He could serve as a situational pass rusher on third downs, help take some pressure off of Cameron Jordan and assist in tutoring young Marcus Davenport. Wake has also shown the ability to stay healthy as he's played in at least 14 games every season of his career except for one. He's also never been on a team that has competed for a championship, that may sway him to take a bit of a discount and maybe a one-year deal.
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