WhoDat!656

The 2014 NFL Draft is officially a wrap, which means offseason additions are just about complete. There will be some small free agent additions here and there, but training camp rosters are just about set. With that in mind, we are back to review each of the 49ers 2014 opponents. Each team has gained and lost numerous players, so this series will help get you more familiar with the rosters of each opponent.

The big question coming into the offseason for the Saints was what to do about Jimmy Graham. After giving him a franchise tag, the question still isn't resolved. Graham contends that he should be franchised as a WR, while the Saints have franchised him as a TE. The difference is considerable, about $5 million, so the two parties are seeking arbitration to resolve this problem. The process has implications for the 49ers in a couple of ways: not only do we play the Saints this season (which is why you are reading this article right now), but Vernon Davis and the 49ers are likely following the process closely, with Davis hoping that Graham makes as much money as he can. Our very own overlord Fooch has some thoughts on the issue.

The Saints are confronting a few other problems this offseason, though-much of them stemming from salary cap problems. According to Over the Cap, the Saints are currently sitting at $1,804,988. In free agency, the Saints weren't able to bring in many new players, which is especially problematic given how many players they were forced to cut (or trade). Let's take a look at how they did in free agency.

Free Agency:

Additions: S Jairus Byrd, FB Erik Lorig, C Jonathan Goodwin

Losses: Malcolm Jenkins, RB Darren Sproles (trade), OT Charles Brown, S Roman Harper (cut), WR Lance Moore (cut), FB Jed Collins, DE Tom Johnson, CB Jabari Greer, LB Will Smith

The ratio of losses to additions is pretty obvious. And while this isn't necessarily a good indicator of roster strength, the presence of cut players and a trade indicates the necessity to stay under the cap. I think Harper had taken a few steps back the last couple of seasons, so I like the addition of Byrd. He can help shore up that secondary. And we all know Goodwin quite well. While I think it was time for the 49ers to part ways with him, he can still be a solid starter for a team in the NFL. Saints fans should be happy with his return.

Draft:

20. Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
58. Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
126. Khairi Fortt, OLB, California
167. Vinnie Sunseri, S, Alabama
169. Ronald Powell, OLB, Florida
202. Tavon Rooks, OT, Kansas State

From what I've read, people aren't too high on the Saints' draft. Most people like the first two picks, though some think that the 3rd round pick the Saints surrendered to move up for Cooks was too pricy. After that, it seems like most pundits aren't in favor of the draft. Fortt seems to have a lot of potential, but comes with injury concerns. Same with Powell. As a 49ers fan, I really won't criticize a team for taking a flyer on a talented player with injury concerns. All in all, I think Saints fans will be happy with Cooks. He's a speedster, who can really add another dimension to an already potent offense.

49ers opponents offseason review 2014: New Orleans Saints - Niners Nation

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

Seer1

Slow sports news day all over the country... zzzzzz....

blackangold

Unsurprisingly **** article..

Our losses in FA are irrelevant, everyone of those players was a waste (aside from sproles). Seriously is anyone worried about losing Charles Brown or Will Smith... We upgraded everyone of those positions.

Let's not mentions they left out one of our great additions in FA with CHAMP...

So bored of the offseason... Pre-season needs to hurry up!

Danno

While we lost some decent players (Harper, Sproles, Jenkins, DLP, Collins, Moore, Greer) we certainly upgraded nearly every spot with Byrd, Lorig, Cooks, Goodwin, Bailey, and even Ball

But what even more exciting are the young ascending players on our roster getting another season of development under their belt. These guys should only get better...

Foster, Armstead, Reddick, White, KRobinson, Sweeting, Hill, Cadet, Toon, Lelito, Hicks, Jenkins.

Then add in some IR guys who should upgrade their respective units...
Butler, PRobinson, Morgan,

I'd say we definitely improved our roster by quite a bit.

tavia45

What is this writer missing.

|Mitch|

Oh look! Another writer without a clue

Audiotom

I enjoyed the wide range of comments with the article

one SF fan saying NO/NE superbowl
and the playoff coming thru us

Rugby Saint II

triman

I am filled with the excitement of watching this young talent of ours stake the next step in their careers. All of my concerns have been addressed.Loomis and Co.

SaintFanInATLHELL

Missing the fact that the majority of the players that we lost or cut were on the margins of productivity for the team last year. Exceptions in Sproles and possibly Greer.

Missing the fact that IR did some serious damage last year.

Missing the fact that the young up and comers have more upside than the aging vets. Charles Brown vs. Armstead is a perfect example of this.

Missing the fact that it's a value proposition argument. Sproles is valuable for example. But he's not worth the $3.5 million that he was due from the Saints in 2014.

Missing the fact that JG is really a non argument. Whether with a long term deal, the franchise tag, or either result of the arbitration in a couple of weeks, he's going to to play next year and get paid big next year. It's not going to have any impact on the football side of things...

Missing the fact that when you have a top 5 offense, and a top 5 defense, that a overhaul really isn't necessary. The Saints retooled in exactly their area of weakness by bringing in dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball (Byrd, Bailey, Cooks).

Missed the point that in 2014 that the strength of schedule is flipped between the NFC South (now one of the weakest) and the NFC West (now one of the toughest). In fact SF is the only final 4 contender from last years playoffs we play on the schedule next year.

So the bottom line is that the writer missed pretty much everything...

SFIAH

Super Bowl Championships: New Orleans Saints:1, Carolina:0, Atlanta Chokers: STILL ZERO

Only Atlanta choked in an unchokable situation... Life is definitely good.