TheOak

(Mike Triplett)
ESPN’s NFL scouting Insider Matt Williamson kept a close eye on the New Orleans Saints this year, joining several of our in-game chats with his thoughts on the team. So I reached out to the former Cleveland Browns scout this week to assess the Saints and their needs going forward.

Here are his thoughts on the offense:

Biggest concerns: “I think priority No. 1 has to be retaining (free-agent tight end) Jimmy Graham. I mean, that’s as big a no-brainer as there is in this offseason. And no matter what they have to do to do that, I assume they’ll franchise him. So I think there’s no chance he leaves New Orleans. I’m not going out on a limb there.

“But what worries me -- two things worry me about this offense. First is their offensive line. (Right tackle Zach) Strief and (center Brian) de la Puente are free agents. And (guard) Jahri Evans is expensive. Could he be a cap casualty or a restructure guy? You know, (rookie Terron) Armstead looked good at left tackle. But if they’re tight on funds, that offensive line could be a problem area. And it showed some warts this past year for the first time in a while.

“I think both free agents are underrated, particularly Strief. And I think he’ll be sought after -- though I’m not sure he’s gonna break the bank or anything. And they certainly could use (something like) a third-round pick on whoever moves on. Supposedly it’s a pretty good center draft. Maybe that’s the approach to take. … I don’t know that you can upgrade the offensive line, but you need to at least maintain it.

Read More
Scouting breakdown: Saints offense - New Orleans Saints Blog - ESPN

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