The NFL draft is over and the New Orleans Saints have brought in their rookie free agents, seemingly filling just about every need on their roster — except one.
Our writers have kicked around several topics in their latest roundtable. On Monday, we gave the Saints letter grades on their draft class. On Tuesday, we each gave our opinions on which rookie will make the biggest impact. On Thursday, we discussed which of the Saints' undrafted free agents has a chance to make a splash.
Today, we discuss the Saints' remaining weakness.
What areas, if any, do you think the Saints still need to address before the season starts?
Jeff Duncan: The trade of Adam Trautman leaves the Saints thin at tight end. There’s not much experience there. I will be surprised if they don’t add a veteran tight end before the start of training camp. Otherwise, the depth looks pretty solid.
Luke Johnson: I just got done hyping up Orji, but I still wouldn’t mind seeing New Orleans add a veteran linebacker to the group (then again, we were saying the same things last year about the linebacker corps, and Kaden Ellis ended up making everyone look foolish). I was also surprised they not only didn’t add a tight end in the draft, but then traded Adam Trautman, making that position easily the thinnest on the roster.
Terrin Waack: Tight end. The Saints picked up Central Michigan tight end Joel Wilson as an undrafted free agent, but one rookie isn’t enough to fill the void that formed when New Orleans traded Adam Trautman to the Broncos during the draft. Trautman appeared in all but seven games in his three years with the Saints. That position group is rather thin, with Juwan Johnson carrying most of the weight. It’d be wise to add another veteran.
Rod Walker: It looks like we all agree here — tight end for sure. Juwan Johnson and Lucas Krull are the only returning tight ends on the roster. Well, you can throw Taysom Hill in that mix, too, but he’s more of a utility player who lines up all over the place. Johnson was rock-solid in 2022, catching 42 passes for 508 yards and seven touchdowns in a breakout season. Krull, meanwhile, spent most of his rookie season last year on the practice squad before appearing in one game. So the Saints need to add quality depth at tight end unless they are relying on undrafted rookie free agent Joel Wilson or veteran signee Miller Forristall (no catches in two seasons) to contribute.
