A.J. Klein, New Orleans Saints. (Photo by Stephen Lew/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The New Orleans Saints fell short in the NFC playoffs for the third year in a row. Here are five offseason moves they can make to get back to the playoffs.
For the third year in a row, the New Orleans Saints have been eliminated from the NFC playoffs in heartbreaking fashion. New Orleans, the No. 3 seed in the NFC this year, lost at home to the No. 6-seeded Minnesota Vikings 26-20 in overtime. The Saints had lofty expectations of reaching their second Super Bowl in franchise history, yet they came up short once again.
New Orleans faces a critical offseason for the franchise. Yes, the Saints will likely be the favorite to win the NFC South yet again, but we have to wonder if the Super Bowl window has closed on the Drew Brees/Sean Payton era of Saints football. Brees is 40-years-old and will be a free agent this offseason. New Orleans is running out of time to get him Lombardi Trophy No. 2.
That being said, general manager Mickey Loomis has built a marvelous roster in the Big Easy. The Saints have the on-field talent to compete with just about anybody in the league. So there are a few reasons to believe the Saints can get back to the NFC playoffs next year and maybe make some noise.
Here are five offseason moves the Saints need to make to get back to the playoffs in 2020.
5. Make necessary adjustments to linebacker unit
One thing that New Orleans needs to address this offseason is its linebackers. The Saints have a few marquee players hitting free agency from that position group. Most notably, seven-year pro, A.J. Klein will be an unrestricted free agent this spring. He has spent the last three years with the Saints after being a fifth-round pick by the Carolina Panthers out of Iowa State.
Stephone Anthony and Manti Te’o will also be free agents, meaning the Saints will be looking to bolster the middle of their defense this offseason. The Saints may look to address this position group in the 2020 NFL Draft, re-sign any of these three free agents or look for other players on the open market.
The reason this position group is so important for the Saints to address is that they can’t afford to have bell-cow running backs like Dalvin Cook run the ball down their throats to dictate terms in the postseason. If New Orleans gets stronger at linebacker, then they will have the defense to carry an aging Brees to the Super Bowl.