New Orleans Saints Free Agency: 4 FAs the Team Is Most Likely to Sign

The start of NFL free agency kicks off Tuesday afternoon, and the next 24 hours should be interesting for the New Orleans Saints, who are on the verge of losing some key players at different positions to the open market.

The Saints are going to have so much money tied up in Drew Brees that they'll have a hard time making a splash in free agency—heck, they're going to have a hard time re-signing some of their own key players.

This organization is in flux right now, to say the least. As reported by Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune, the Saints are $6.55 million under the salary cap, which doesn't really give the team much money to play with. General manager Mickey Loomis has his work cut out for him this offseason; it's imperative that he starts restructuring contracts and releasing some players so the Saints have a chance to be a little active in free agency.

So, where do the Saints start?

It's guaranteed they won't be able to sign all 14 of their unrestricted free agents. They can potentially lose both of their veteran defensive tackles, Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rogers. They can also lose their outside linebacker, wide receivers and star guard Carl Nicks.

New Orleans will not have any big, fancy signings this offseason. They have to address their problems through draft and free agency as best as they can with the very limited funds they have. So, that being said, let's look at a few free agents the Saints will most likely sign at the right price.

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Braylon Edwards, WR

 As per Pro Football Talk:

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"A league source tells PFT the two sides are working feverishly toward finalizing a new contract before Colston becomes a free agent at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday.  Colston, we’re told, badly wants to remain a Saint."

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Both Robert Meachem and Marques Colston are set to hit free agency on Tuesday afternoon—one of them won't return to the team. With the Saints working hard to re-sign star receiver Colston, it will be difficult to bring Meachem back.

The Saints need to replace Meachem with someone, right?

Enter Braylon Edwards, who was released by the San Francisco 49ers in December.

Yes, Edwards battled knee and shoulder injuries in the 2011 season, but those very same reasons are why he is attainable. The Saints can and should get Edwards at a good price, health pending.

Edwards would be a good fit with the Saints. He's only 29 years old, he has the size at 6'3", he has proven he can be a deep threat and he is a good run-blocker. At one point in his career, Edwards was a No. 1 receiver.

In his eight years in the NFL, Edwards has posted some good numbers (save for the 2011 season). He has 341 receptions for 5,323 yards and 39 touchdowns, averaging 15.6 yards per reception.

Aaron Ross, CB

Young cornerback Tracy Porter is also set to hit free agency. If the Saints aren't able to re-sign him, they are going to be thin at that position. Although Porter's production has dropped off the past few seasons, he has still shown that he is a good cover guy. His battles with injuries will drive down his price tag, but he is still a good cornerback, which is important in a pass-happy league.

The Saints will attempt to re-sign Porter, but if not, they will look to free agency for a more affordable alternative.

As mentioned earlier, the Saints won't be able to get into any bidding wars with stud free agents. That scratches Cortland Finnegan and Carlos Rogers off the list, but a good player to look into is the New York Giants' Aaron Ross.

Ross would be a good fit in new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's scheme. Ross played for Spagnuolo back when Spagnuolo was with the New York Giants, so Ross' familiarity with his system is helpful.

Ross had a nice season in 2011 with 60 tackles, four interceptions and 12 pass defenses.

Andre Carter, DE

If the Saints lose both of their DE backups, Jeff Charleston and Turk McBride, in free agency, that would leave only four DEs on their roster.

It's no secret that the Saints—ranked 23rd in defense—had problems putting consistent pressure on quarterbacks with their front four. Will Smith and Cameron Jordan are average pass-rushers, so they need to at least look into bringing in a situational pass-rusher behind Smith and Jordan.

New England veteran Andre Carter would be a good pick-up for the Saints.

Yes, he's getting older (32 years old), but the guy can still wreak some havoc, and the Saints can get him at a good price. Last season, Carter had 52 tackles, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles. He can inject life into the Saints' anemic pass-rush.

Mike Brisiel, G

New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks will be in high demand once he enters the free agency market Tuesday afternoon. If the Saints aren't able to re-sign Nicks, it would greatly hurt the team.

But, at the price Nicks is hoping to get, Saints won't be able to compete and will look elsewhere.

Houston Texans guard Mike Brisiel has durability issues that can bring the price down on him, which works in the Saints' favor. The fact that Brisiel is injury-prone may scare away the Texans from re-signing him, especially since he had a fractured fibula and tibia late in the season last year.

However, Brisiel is a solid starter when healthy. He is only 29 years old and has shown, with the Texans, that he is a good zone-blocker.

The Saints need to replace Nicks, and Brisiel is a good replacement.