New Orleans Saints Free-Agency Tracker: Updated Signings, Rumors and Grades
NFL free agency officially kicks off Tuesday afternoon, and the New Orleans Saints will be looking to strengthen their roster in a number of areas by reeling in some of their top free-agent targets.
The Saints, who finished 7-9 last season, entered the offseason with a potentially troublesome salary-cap situation on their hands. General manager Mickey Loomis has made huge strides on that front in the past week, however, with a couple of space-clearing roster cuts.
New Orleans also got a solid head start on this year’s free-agency period by inking a key offensive starter to a long-term deal.
With free agency now under way, this week will be an important one for the Saints, as the team will try and shore up some of its weaker areas before the upcoming draft.
The most obvious position in need of improvement is cornerback, and New Orleans will likely be attempting to bring in a veteran cover man to bolster its pass defense. Other areas of concern include the interior offensive line and the inside linebacker position.
Read on for a closer look at some of the moves the Saints have already made, and be sure to regularly check back for updates throughout the week, as all free-agent signings will promptly be added and graded.
Of course, feel free to express your own thoughts on the Saints’ moves in the comments section.
Signed: Running Back C.J. Spiller
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In yet another major move, the Saints have acquired free-agent running back C.J. Spiller, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
The signing comes just six days after New Orleans inked running back Mark Ingram to a four-year deal, and it serves as evidence that the Saints are committing themselves to a more run-oriented offense in 2015. New Orleans also has third-year back Khiry Robinson on the roster.
Spiller, a Clemson product, was the ninth overall pick in the 2010 draft. In his five NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills, he's racked up over 3,300 rushing yards (5.0 yards per carry) and just over 1,100 receiving yards. He's also reached the end zone a total of 20 times (12 rushing, six receiving, two kick returns).
While Ingram will likely garner the lion's share of carries between the tackles, the 5'11", 200-pound Spiller should slide nicely into the role previously occupied by Pierre Thomas in New Orleans. He's an explosive receiver out of the backfield, and he's capable of producing multiple big plays over the course of a game.
The Saints have confirmed the four-year deal on the team's official website, NewOrleansSaints.com.
Grade: A
Traded: Wide Receiver Kenny Stills
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It appears no one is safe on the New Orleans roster this week.
In another surprising move, the Saints have reportedly traded away wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Miami Dolphins, according to Pro Football Talk (h/t Darin Gantt).
In exchange for Stills, New Orleans gets linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a third-round draft choice.
Stills was one of the more promising young players on the Saints roster. Selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, he's hauled in 95 receptions in his two years with the team, while ringing up over 1,500 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
As for Ellerbe, the former Georgia Bulldog is heading into his seventh NFL season. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens in 2009 and started 14 games in four seasons.
After signing with Miami in 2013, he started 15 games at middle linebacker for the Dolphins, while registering 101 tackles (70 solo) and two interceptions. He made the switch to the weak side in 2014, but he was placed on injured reserve in Week 2 after suffering a hip injury in the first game of the season.
Ellerbe is a versatile linebacker known for his pass-coverage abilities, and he's also a capable pass-rusher.
From a salary-cap standpoint, this move did very little to help the Saints, who have been in space-clearing mode since last week. Ellerbe was slated to rake in a base salary of $8.425 million next season, while Stills' base salary was $585,000. According to the NFL Network's Ian Rappaport, however, Ellerbe has agreed to restructure his contract after the trade.
A linebacker with coverage skills was certainly among the Saints' needs, but with Jimmy Graham and Stills no longer on the roster, New Orleans will now have to shore up its receiving corps in the coming months.
Grade: C
Re-Signed: Linebacker Ramon Humber
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The first week of free agency is shaping up to be quite eventful for the New Orleans front office. The Saints announced Thursday on their official site, NewOrleansSaints.com, that they have re-signed linebacker Ramon Humber to a two-year deal.
The versatile special teams ace played in 15 games and started six games at linebacker in 2014, as he filled in for both Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne throughout the season.
Humber joined the Saints early on in the 2010 season, after he spent the first year of his career with the Indianapolis Colts.
The 27-year-old provides some quality depth at the inside linebacker spot, and after registering a career-high 50 tackles in 2014, he should see plenty of action again next season.
Grade: B
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Signed: Cornerback Brandon Browner
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Two days after trading away Jimmy Graham, the Saints have demonstrated their commitment to upgrading at the cornerback position.
The team announced Thursday on its official website, NewOrleansSaints.com, that it has signed free-agent corner Brandon Browner to a three-year deal.
After a three-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks, Browner spent last season with the New England Patriots, where he played a key role in the Patriots' Super Bowl run.
At 6'4" and 221 pounds, he has unique size for the position, which will certainly come in handy in the NFC South against the likes of wideouts Julio Jones, Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and Kelvin Benjamin. But size isn't all Browner brings to the table.
He's perhaps the most physical cornerback in the NFL, and he plays the game with a high degree of intensity. This is something the Saints defense appeared to lack throughout last season, and such a presence on that side of the ball will provide the unit with a huge shot in the arm.
Grade: A
Traded: Guard Ben Grubbs
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According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, starting guard Ben Grubbs has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the Chiefs' fifth-round pick in the upcoming 2015 draft (h/t Adam Teicher and Mike Triplett, ESPN.com).
The team has since confirmed the deal on its official site, NewOrleansSaints.com.
Grubbs has started all 48 regular season games for the Saints since joining the team in 2012. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2013, as well as in 2011 when he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens. By trading him, the Saints will save $3.6 million in cap space in 2015, according to Teicher and Triplett.
The Saints could opt to fill the now-vacant left guard spot with interior lineman Tim Lelito, who served as a backup center and guard last season. The addition of Max Unger via the Jimmy Graham trade would allow Lelito to make the full-time switch to the guard spot.
Of course, New Orleans could still bring in another guard by means of a trade, free agency or the draft.
The 31-year-old Grubbs appeared to regress in 2014, and he was set to deliver a $9.6 million cap blow to the Saints next season. A fifth-round pick isn't much for a two-time Pro Bowler, but given the team's tight salary-cap situation, there's a strong chance New Orleans would have released him if it had been unable to trade him.
Grade: C+
Traded: Tight End Jimmy Graham
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The Saints kicked off free agency with a blockbuster deal on Tuesday afternoon, as they traded tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks, according to Fox NFL Insider Jay Glazer.
In return for Graham and a fourth-round pick, the Saints have acquired Seahawks center Max Unger, as well as a first-round pick.
This stunning move fills a huge need for New Orleans at the center position, while relieving the Saints of Graham's mammoth contract, which was agreed to last July.
Of course it's always nice to have two first-round picks, and the Saints now enjoy that luxury as the NFL draft approaches.
As for Unger, the 28-year-old former Oregon Duck is heading into the fourth year of a five-year deal. He's a two-time Pro Bowler, and with 36-year-old Jonathan Goodwin seemingly on his way out as the Saints' starting center, his presence should be welcomed on the aging New Orleans offensive line.
Obviously, Graham put up prolific numbers during his time in New Orleans, and his departure creates a need at the tight end spot. The Saints offense demonstrated it could still operate at a high level when he was slowed with a shoulder injury last season, however, and Josh Hill showed some promise at the position throughout the year.
Grade: B
Re-Signed: Running Back Mark Ingram
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Over the past weekend, the Saints decided against letting starting running back Mark Ingram test the free-agent waters, as they re-signed him to a four-year contract worth $16 million.
There’s no denying that the former Heisman Trophy winner got off to a rocky start in New Orleans. After being selected in the first round of the 2011 draft, he averaged just 3.9 yards per carry during his first two seasons in the league.
Ingram started to turn things around a bit in 2013, however, as he averaged nearly five yards per carry.
Last season proved to be his best effort by far. Ingram seized the starting job in 2014, and he solidified his role as the Saints’ primary between-the-tackles ball-carrier.
Despite missing three games with a hand injury, he finished the season just 36 yards shy of the 1,000-yard rushing mark, and he also hauled in a career-high 29 receptions. The former Alabama standout ran the football with authority for the better part of the season, and he rarely went down on first contact.
By securing Ingram’s services, the Saints took a big step toward providing quarterback Drew Brees with a strong running game for the next couple of seasons.
In addition to Ingram, New Orleans has re-signed four other 2014 players to one-year deals this offseason, including quarterback Luke McCown, linebacker Parys Haralson, safety Jamarca Sanford and kicker Shayne Graham.
Grade: A
Recent Roster Cuts
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Given the fact that New Orleans was well over the salary cap heading into the offseason, it was inevitable that some prominent Saints players would be handed their walking papers in order to clear space.
That looming threat became a harsh reality for Curtis Lofton Monday afternoon, as the three-year starting inside linebacker was cut, according to Saints reporter Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
Since his arrival as a free-agent signee in 2012, Lofton has started every game for New Orleans. With 393 tackles in his three years as a Saint, he’s been a stalwart run defender, as well as the defensive captain and signal-caller for coordinators Steve Spagnuolo (2012) and Rob Ryan (2013 and 2014).
Lofton’s departure creates a huge void in the middle of the New Orleans defense, but given the whopping $7.25 million he was due to rake in next season, his release is not that surprising. The Saints could opt to fill that hole by signing one of a number of free agents at the position, or they could address it through the draft.
The former Oklahoma Sooner is not the first noteworthy New Orleans player to be cut this offseason. Last week, eight-year veteran running back Pierre Thomas was reportedly informed of his release, thus paving the way for the Saints to re-sign Ingram.
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