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New Orleans Saints: Brees and What Else?

By mbarone, Section NFL
Posted on Tue Mar 14 2006 at 10:25 PM EST
More on: (all tags)

The off-season is here, and some teams made a splash, others attempted to, and some are still quiet. Even though the NFL off-season began last Saturday, the New Orleans Saints have people buzzing.

The Saints are high on Mario Williams, who is expected to go 4th or 5th. The New York Jets own the 4th overall pick, and may be interested in dealing it. They may find a way to link John Abraham into the trade, and that would be the player that the Saints would need to fill their void at defensive end. This trade would enable the Saints to draft on the offensive line, which is where they struggled mightily in 2005. The loss of LeCharles Bentley is devastating, and they may have to draft a big lineman such as D'Brickshaw Ferguson with the Jets' no. 4 pick. If they were to acquire John Abraham, this would fill the void at defensive end, but this means that Darren Howard must come back.

The time to deal Aaron Brooks is now. Unfortunately, you cannot count on Drew Brees due to his torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. As much as they would like to deal Brooks, they would have to get a draft pick (preferably a 2nd or 3rd rounder) in return because they have so many voids to fill. Would they have any interest in Patrick Ramsey? The only problem is that the Redskins do not have many draft choices, as some have been dealt away. (I.e the third rounder they sent to San Francisco for Brandon Lloyd) Arizona may be interested in Brooks, as Kurt Warner is not the future of the Arizona Cardinals. (even though he signed a big contract in the off-season) If Dennis Green wants to keep his job, he would bench Warner and trade for a mobile quarterback, such as Brooks. It is unfortunate because the Saints need a back-up quarterback, and he (Brooks) would be disgruntled if he had to sit on the bench.

Wide receiver Joe Horn has showed his unhappiness as a Saint, and would welcome a trade, but it is unlikely that they would deal him, unless his attitude becomes a problem. Denver, Dallas, and Green Bay are three teams that need playmaking wide receivers, along with the New York Jets (who need a number 1 receiver). As of today, the Saints have a lot of questions to answer, like the following:

1. How are they going to respond to a new head coach?
   
2. Is Drew Brees the right guy at quarterback, or will his labrum continue to bother him?
   
3. Is Darren Howard coming back?
   
4. How are they going to respond to the loss of pro bowl center LeCharles Bentley?
   
5. Who will improve the team from the bottom of the league to the division title?
   
6. Are they willing to go from mid to low rankings up to the top 10?
   
7. Can they score points?