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Disappointing seasons often lead to sweeping change — especially when said season began with championship aspirations.

We’ve already seen some of the pieces fall for the New Orleans Saints.

Major changes have been made to the coaching staff, and coach Sean Payton has spoken out about the lack of leadership in his locker room.

What we haven’t seen is how the changes will affect the roster. With just a little bit more than a week remaining to trim more than $20 million to get in compliance with the salary cap, things have been silent at Saints headquarters.

But what we do know is that change is coming. This roster needs upgrades at several key spots on defense, and hard salary decisions will need to be made at others where players with bloated contracts exist.

How shrewd the team is in trimming the fat from its roster will determine what this team can do in the offseason. With $109 million in cap space tied up in the top 10 players on the roster, it could be difficult to find much room to play with. But several of those hits will be decreased in the coming days when the team converts several roster bonuses to signing bonuses, which can be spread out over a number of years.

And, besides, General Manager Mickey Loomis always seems to find a way to fit players under the cap. It will be interesting to see what he comes up.

In the meantime, here’s a look at how things stand heading into the free agency period:

Quarterbacks

Even though his numbers appear stellar on paper, Drew Brees left something to be desired in his execution. There were too many interceptions and missed opportunities which, at the end, might have been the difference between winning the weak NFC South and heading home with the sour taste of disappointment.


Read more: At pivotal time for Saints, here’s a position-by-position look at how their offseason might unfold | Saints | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, Louisiana

hagan714

pretty well thought out and worth the read

Marlboro Man

Sorry, can't agree with the "sweeping changes to the coaching staff" statement. The changes made were minimal at best and left obvious coaches that have needed replacement for years, still in their current jobs. This to me does not show a commitment to win.

saintsfan1976

Sean Payton's records since 2009:

13-3
11-5
13-3
11-5
7-9

5-3 in the playoffs. Average margin of defeat = 4pts.

Not only is he committed to winning, he's proven it.

Don't get caught up in the thinking that "we need wholesale changes" ....

It's just not true.

Tweaks, yes. Let's see what this season shows us before we jettison the entire staff...

hagan714

only changes i see if the saints tank again is the safety blanket some coaches have with SP will be taken off.