I would like for us to draft a RB somewhere in round 3-4. I believe we need a real power back to pair with Kamara, someone who can get the tough yards inside the box. Ingram has a little value because he knows the system well but is clearly on the downside of his career.

The rest of the backs we had this year...? Pfff...

I've been screaming this for years to (Paytons) deaf ears. Or at least posting it here for years. Best true power style we run under Payton was the 3 headed monster running attack and it worked out pretty good, throw in a really good TE and add a couple of this years FA WR's we're top notch again. I'm not so worried about the O-line simply because Payton (usually) knows how to build a good line even though Peat and Ruiz need to get their crap together or demoted to backups.

When Peat plays well he is a really good guard, big and pretty mobile, moves people. The problem is that he very seldom plays to that level.I've been pretty patient with my opinions on him, seeing how I thought he would develop some concistency and hopefully raise his floor closer to his ceiling.

Now however I think its time to go in another direction. Either trough FA or the draft. We need somebody who can consistantly open holes in the running game.

How much would it cost us to cut him?

Speaking of TEs, what I've seen from our group this year is a willingness to block. None of them have really wowed us in the passing game but I've seen good effort from the whole group when it comes to blocking, and chansing bodies downfield to hit.

Michael Thomas returning would provide safety net to Saints QB

Whether it’s Jameis Winston or someone else, a parachute would go a long way

By KSkiver35 Jan 20, 2022, 10:00am CST

If you ask anyone who watched the New Orleans Saints last year what their primary issue was, the answer would be one word: Receivers. The lack of offensive weapons for the Saints plagued them all season, whether it was with Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, or Taysom Hill under center. It put an exorbitant amount of pressure on the defense, and it led to a team that finished one game shy of the playoffs.

At receiver, the Saints had Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harty, and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey running routes primarily. They combined for 127 catches, 1,894 yards, and 14 touchdowns. For comparison, 2019 Michael Thomas caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards and 9 touchdowns. Now, there are dozens of factors up in the air regarding Thomas. His injury rehab and status with the Saints remains uncertain, but should he return in 2022, it would be a huge boon for a Saints offense that desperately needs targets.

It would particularly help if Winston were still slinging for the Saints. If Winston is comfortable with a receiver, he can be extremely accurate. He completed 71 percent of his passes to Chris Godwin in 2019, while completing 60 percent of his passes on the season. Though Mike Evans is a better analogue physically to Thomas, Godwin runs more similar routes to Thomas, who isn’t as physical at the point of the catch as Evans.

Hill to Thomas is actually a known quantity. In four games together in 2020, Hill completed 30 of 37 passes to Thomas for 343 yards. Thomas’s catch percentage was up just over 80 percent. That is up with Thomas’s most efficient numbers, whereas his 11.6 yards per catch were in line with his career numbers.

For all of the quips about Thomas’s tendency to run slants, they are his most effective route and easily his most targeted. In 2019, Thomas had a DVOA of 32.8 percent being targeted on slant routes. That was 36 targets. However, all of his best routes were ...

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When Peat plays well he is a really good guard, big and pretty mobile, moves people. The problem is that he very seldom plays to that level.I've been pretty patient with my opinions on him, seeing how I thought he would develop some concistency and hopefully raise his floor closer to his ceiling.

Now however I think its time to go in another direction. Either trough FA or the draft. We need somebody who can consistantly open holes in the running game.

How much would it cost us to cut him?

Speaking of TEs, what I've seen from our group this year is a willingness to block. None of them have really wowed us in the passing game but I've seen good effort from the whole group when it comes to blocking, and chansing bodies downfield to hit.