WhoDat!656

Salary cap issues are the theme of the 2013 offseason for the New Orleans Saints. With the team currently experiencing some challenges in that department, fans have become very familiar with the term “contract restructuring.” General manager Mickey Loomis has been hard at work taking the steps necessary to retain key players and sign free agents. If there is one thing he has proven, it’s that he is a master at creating cap space and finding bargains on players.

Not all of the moves Loomis has made so far has been the most palatable, but when a team finds itself in cap hell, hard decisions must be made. Let’s check out what he has done for us lately.

Best Moves

After a disastrous 2012 season in which the defense was unable to pressure the quarterback, unable to defend the pass, unable to stop the run, and gave up more yards than any team in NFL history, Loomis decided to start the rebuilding process right at the top. He fired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and brought on Rob Ryan, lately of the Dallas Cowboys to fill the leadership vacuum. Ryan promptly ditched the Saints’ 4-3 scheme and began the process of implementing his 3-4 style. He tapped a couple of players he coached in Dallas, linebacker Victor Butler and defensive end Kenyon Coleman, to form the core of the new defense. Although neither player is spectacularly talented, Butler should challenge for a starting spot and Coleman is a run stopper.

The best personnel pickup so far has been the signing of cornerback Keenan Lewis, who wasn’t resigned by the Pittsburgh Steelers over the loud protests of fans. A decent cover corner who faced a tremendous number of passes last year, he is only in his fourth year and has the skills to play man on man He should start across from Jabari Greer with Patrick Robinson in the nickel, instantly improving the Saints’ cornerback trio, at least on paper.

Worst Moves

Failing to keep safety Ed Reed from the clutches of the Houston Texans was a mistake. Reed would have been a pickup comparable to the signing of Darren Sharper in 2009. Putting a trustworthy future Hall of Famer in center field would have freed the rest of the secondary to worry about their own assignments. It’s not like Houston overpaid for him, so New Orleans probably could have made it work. It would have been a low-risk, high-reward strategy.

In addition, the acquisition of Reed would have compensated for the loss of Roman Harper, whose contract Loomis elected not to restructure. Not that Saints fans are grieving overmuch; they had grown tired of Harper, who is a top run-stopping strong safety but covers like a defensive tackle at times. The combination of Reed at free safety and Malcolm Jenkins at strong safety would have been ideal.

It would have been nice to see New Orleans retain backup quarterback Chase Daniel. Now they have no one who could bail out the boat if Drew Brees goes down, since it’s doubtful Josh McCown will be the No. 2 man come Week 1.

Going forward

Without a doubt, Mickey Loomis is positioning this team for a quick return to contention, and the beautiful thing is that he still has plenty of time to fill other needs. He has placed a second-round tender on running back Chris Ivory, which should keep him around for the 2013 season. In addition, he restocked the tight end larder with Ben Watson, who will provide a receiving threat behind Jimmy Graham.

On the other hand, due to the current adverse cap situation, he was forced to let left tackle Jermon Bushrod get away, but when the line is stocked with guards like Ben Grubbs and Jahri Evans, that is not such a huge loss.

Clearly, Loomis has done great things since his arrival in New Orleans. There is every reason to have confidence as the 2013 NFL Draft approaches.

Best and Worst Offseason Moves: New Orleans Saints

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