CheramieIII

Recent free agent pick-ups alter look of Saints' roster
Scott Ferrell
sferrell@gannett.com

SHREVEPORT - The New Orleans Saints team that will play the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL preseason game on Aug. 21 at Independence Stadium will be shaped by the moves made this offseason.
Less than a month into free agency - and about a month away from the draft - the Saints have been actively rebuilding a team which posted a 3-13 record last season.


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I think we still need a few more alterations?

Golf and sex are about the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.
Jimmy Demaret

LongTimeFan

"I think we still need a few more alterations?"

I agree with ya 100%, I can't wait for the day to see what our new team will look like.

spkb25

of course we do cherm. no doubt bro. but i like where we are headed and man if brees is the same after his injury as before we are going to be in good shape. the kid is still young

LongTimeFan

I agree, I wouldn't change anything that we've done so far this off season, good job already and we haven't seen the "bomb" that will drop soon, I really feel something HUGE is going to happen very soon, I don't think I'm losing my mind, I hope not anyway.

spkb25

i just can't wait for the draft. it is for sure going to be entertaining.

TheDeuce

True. We might not be spending like the Browns or Vikes, but we also don't have the cap room that those teams have. Besides, I think when you look at some of the other teams that needed to improve this offense, we're making a lot more progress than them:

(the player rankings are bolded. And although a few of the rankings are skewed IMO, like LeCharles Bentley, I think the rest are pretty accurate.)

Cardinals:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Edgerrin James RB UFA 6-0 214 7 Colts Cardinals 90 Expert's Take
Reggie Wells OG RFA 6-4 320 3 Cardinals Cardinals 70 Expert's Take
Kendrick Clancy DT UFA 6-1 305 6 NY Giants Cardinals 65 Expert's Take
Milford Brown OG UFA 6-4 331 4 Texans Cardinals 59 Expert's Take

Falcons:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
John Abraham DE UFA 6-4 258 6 NY Jets Falcons 84 Expert's Take
Lawyer Milloy S Released 6-0 190 10 Bills Falcons 73 Expert's Take
Brian Finneran WR UFA 6-5 210 7 Falcons Falcons 64 Expert's Take

Ravens:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Jamal Lewis RB UFA 5-11 245 6 Ravens Ravens 82 Expert's Take
Trevor Pryce DE Released 6-5 286 9 Broncos Ravens 74 Expert's Take
Mike Anderson RB Released 6-0 230 6 Broncos Ravens 72 Expert's Take
Jarret Johnson DE RFA 6-3 285 3 Ravens Ravens 66 Expert's Take
Bart Scott LB UFA 6-2 240 4 Ravens Ravens 65 Expert's Take
Justin Bannan DT UFA 6-3 305 4 Bills Ravens 64 Expert's Take
Gary Stills DE Released 6-2 250 7 Chiefs Ravens 64 Expert's Take
Corey Ivy CB UFA 5-9 188 4 Rams Ravens 60 Expert's Take
Musa Smith RB RFA 6-0 232 3 Ravens Ravens 59 Expert's Take

Bills:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Larry Tripplett DT UFA 6-2 295 4 Colts Bills 73 Expert's Take
Melvin Fowler C UFA 6-3 295 4 Vikings Bills 69 Expert's Take
Andre' Davis WR UFA 6-1 195 4 Patriots Bills 68 Expert's Take
Matt Bowen S Released 6-1 203 6 Redskins Bills 67 Expert's Take
Greg Jerman OG UFA 6-5 310 4 Bills Bills 65 Expert's Take
Josh Reed WR UFA 5-10 208 4 Bills Bills 65 Expert's Take
Mike Schneck C UFA 6-1 237 7 Bills Bills 65 Expert's Take
Robert Royal TE UFA 6-4 260 3 Redskins Bills 62 Expert's Take
Mario Haggan LB RFA 6-3 248 3 Bills Bills 61 Expert's Take
Josh Stamer LB RFA 6-2 238 3 Bills Bills 61 Expert's Take
Craig Nall QB UFA 6-3 230 4 Packers Bills 57 Expert's Take

Browns:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
LeCharles Bentley C UFA 6-2 313 4 Saints Browns 78 Expert's Take
Kevin Shaffer OT UFA 6-5 290 4 Falcons Browns 74 Expert's Take
Dave Zastudil P UFA 6-3 215 4 Ravens Browns 72 Expert's Take
Joe Jurevicius WR UFA 6-5 230 8 Seahawks Browns 70 Expert's Take
Ted Washington DT Released 6-5 365 14 Raiders Browns 70 Expert's Take
Willie McGinest LB Released 6-5 270 12 Patriots Browns 69 Expert's Take
Bob Hallen C UFA 6-3 295 8 Chargers Browns 66 Expert's Take
Darnell Dinkins TE UFA 6-2 255 4 Ravens Browns 62 Expert's Take

Lions:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Josh McCown QB UFA 6-4 213 4 Cardinals Lions 70 Expert's Take
Corey Bradford WR UFA 6-1 201 8 Texans Lions 69 Expert's Take
Kalimba Edwards DE UFA 6-6 265 4 Lions Lions 69 Expert's Take
Jon Kitna QB UFA 6-2 225 9 Bengals Lions 68 Expert's Take
Dan Campbell TE UFA 6-5 262 7 Cowboys Lions 67 Expert's Take
Barry Stokes OT UFA 6-4 310 8 Falcons Lions 67 Expert's Take
Jared DeVries DE UFA 6-4 275 7 Lions Lions 64 Expert's Take
Eddie Drummond WR UFA 5-9 190 4 Lions Lions 64 Expert's Take
Paris Lenon LB UFA 6-2 240 4 Packers Lions 64 Expert's Take
Rex Tucker OT UFA 6-5 315 7 Rams Lions 61 Expert's Take
Arlen Harris RB RFA 5-10 212 3 Rams Lions 59 Expert's Take
LeVar Woods LB RFA 6-3 244 4 Lions Lions 59 Expert's Take

Packers:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Aaron Kampman DE UFA 6-4 278 4 Packers Packers 75 Expert's Take
Ryan Pickett NT UFA 6-2 310 5 Rams Packers 70 Expert's Take
William Henderson RB UFA 6-1 252 11 Packers Packers 69 Expert's Take
Marquand Manuel S UFA 6-0 209 4 Seahawks Packers 69 Expert's Take
Ben Taylor LB UFA 6-2 240 4 Browns Packers 69 Expert's Take
Rod Gardner WR UFA 6-2 213 5 Packers Packers 67 Expert's Take
Kevin Barry OT UFA 6-4 332 4 Packers Packers 64 Expert's Take
Kenny Peterson DE RFA 6-3 285 3 Packers Packers 64 Expert's Take
Tracy White LB RFA 6-0 230 3 Jaguars Packers 64 Expert's Take

Texans:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Mike Flanagan C UFA 6-5 301 10 Packers Texans 74 Expert's Take
Anthony Weaver DE UFA 6-3 280 4 Ravens Texans 72 Expert's Take
Sam Cowart LB UFA 6-2 245 8 Vikings Texans 69 Expert's Take
Jeb Putzier TE Released 6-4 256 4 Broncos Texans 69 Expert's Take
Jameel Cook RB UFA 5-10 237 5 Buccaneers Texans 65 Expert's Take
Kevin Walter WR RFA 6-3 214 3 Bengals Texans 64 Expert's Take
Sage Rosenfels QB UFA 6-4 225 5 Dolphins Texans 59 Expert's Take
Ramon Walker S UFA 6-0 212 4 Texans Texans 30 Expert's Take

Saints:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Drew Brees QB UFA 6-0 209 5 Chargers Saints 79 Expert's Take
Michael Bennett RB UFA 5-9 211 5 Vikings Saints 73 Expert's Take
Scott Fujita LB UFA 6-5 250 4 Cowboys Saints 72 Expert's Take
Mark Campbell TE Released 6-6 255 7 Bills Saints 67 Expert's Take
Willie Whitehead DE UFA 6-3 300 7 Saints Saints 67 Expert's Take
James Allen LB UFA 6-2 245 4 Saints Saints 60 Expert's Take
Omar Stoutmire S UFA 5-11 205 9 Redskins Saints 59 Expert's Take

NY Jets:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Chris Baker TE UFA 6-3 258 4 NY Jets NY Jets 73 Expert's Take
Kimo von Oelhoffen DT UFA 6-4 299 12 Steelers NY Jets 71 Expert's Take
Matt Chatham LB UFA 6-4 250 6 Patriots NY Jets 64 Expert's Take
Tim Dwight WR UFA 5-8 180 8 Patriots NY Jets 60 Expert's Take

Raiders:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Aaron Brooks QB Released 6-4 220 7 Saints Raiders 69 Expert's Take
Tyrone Poole CB Released 5-8 188 10 Patriots Raiders 64 Expert's Take
Chad Slaughter OT UFA 6-8 340 5 Raiders Raiders 59 Expert's Take

Eagles:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Darren Howard DE UFA 6-3 275 6 Saints Eagles 79 Expert's Take
Jon Runyan OT UFA 6-7 330 10 Eagles Eagles 78 Expert's Take
Matt Schobel TE UFA 6-5 255 4 Bengals Eagles 69 Expert's Take
Shawn Barber LB Released 6-2 240 8 Chiefs Eagles 68 Expert's Take
Jabar Gaffney WR UFA 6-1 205 4 Texans Eagles 68 Expert's Take
Jeff Garcia QB UFA 6-1 200 7 Lions Eagles 61 Expert's Take
Darnerien McCants WR UFA 6-3 215 5 Eagles Eagles 61 Expert's Take

49ers:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Larry Allen OG Released 6-3 325 12 Cowboys 49ers 72 Expert's Take
Antonio Bryant WR UFA 6-2 188 4 Browns 49ers 71 Expert's Take
Walt Harris CB Released 5-11 190 10 Redskins 49ers 69 Expert's Take
Bryan Gilmore WR UFA 6-0 193 5 Dolphins 49ers 63 Expert's Take
Brandon Moore LB UFA 6-1 242 4 49ers 49ers 62 Expert's Take
Jason McAddley WR UFA 6-2 200 4 49ers 49ers 54 Expert's Take

Rams:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Will Witherspoon LB UFA 6-1 231 4 Panthers Rams 76 Expert's Take
La'Roi Glover DT Released 6-2 282 10 Cowboys Rams 75 Expert's Take
Corey Chavous S UFA 6-1 206 8 Vikings Rams 72 Expert's Take
Isaac Bruce WR Released 6-0 188 12 Rams Rams 71 Expert's Take
Gus Frerotte QB Released 6-3 233 12 Dolphins Rams 69 Expert's Take
Tony Fisher RB UFA 6-1 222 4 Packers Rams 65 Expert's Take
Fakhir Brown CB UFA 5-11 192 6 Saints Rams 64 Expert's Take

Titans:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
David Givens WR UFA 6-0 215 4 Patriots Titans 74 Expert's Take
Chris Hope S UFA 5-11 206 4 Steelers Titans 74 Expert's Take
Kevin Mawae C Released 6-4 289 12 NY Jets Titans 74 Expert's Take
David Thornton LB UFA 6-2 230 4 Colts Titans 74 Expert's Take

Redskins:
Player Pos. FA Type Ht. Wt. Exp. 2005 Team 2006 Team Grade Comment
Adam Archuleta S UFA 6-0 223 5 Rams Redskins 75 Expert's Take
Antwaan Randle El WR UFA 5-10 192 4 Steelers Redskins 73 Expert's Take
Andre Carter LB UFA 6-4 265 5 49ers Redskins 72 Expert's Take
Brandon Lloyd WR RFA 6-0 184 3 49ers Redskins 72 Expert's Take
Christian Fauria TE UFA 6-4 250 11 Patriots Redskins 67 Expert's Take
Mike Pucillo OG UFA 6-4 311 4 Browns Redskins 64 Expert's Take
Khary Campbell LB UFA 6-3 232 4 Redskins Redskins 59 Expert's Take
Todd Collins QB UFA 6-4 228 11 Chiefs Redskins 59 Expert's Take
Cedric Killings DT UFA 6-2 310 3 Redskins Redskins 59 Expert's Take

That took me forever. Anyways. I think you can see from those signing lists that besides a few teams (i.e. Rams, Browns, and Titans) we have one of the better overall signing lists so far. We've addressed some areas of need, and we've gotten good players at those positions. We might not have signed AS MANY players as certain teams (ie Redskins, Eagles, Texans), but I think we've signed higher quality players than those other teams. So yeah, we don't have the biggest improvements thus far in the offseason, but when our coach goes out and gets rid of AB and signs Drew Brees, and then says that in his past experience he's gotten some of his best players late in FA, hell, I don't know about you, but I'm going to listen to the guy.

CheramieIII

Hell, I didn't say I wasn't listening. I really think he know's what he's doing. I'm just nervous about Center, DT and a backup for Brees.