SmashMouth

Every NFL team has its cursed position. The Cleveland Browns never have a quarterback. The Seattle Seahawks have historical issues with their offensive line. And the New Orleans Saints have seemingly been haunted by the cornerback position since their inception.

In 50 seasons, the Saints have had three Pro Bowl cornerbacks: Dave Whitsell (1967); Dave Waymer (1987); and Eric Allen (1996). The current 21-year Pro Bowl drought is the longest in the NFL, a staggering run of futility at the position.



The Saints have tried just about everything over the years to address what is arguably the most important position in the game other than quarterback. They selected corners in the first round of the NFL draft (Alex Molden, Malcolm Jenkins, Patrick Robinson,), bought veterans in free agency (Jabari Greer, Keenan Lewis, Brandon Browner), signed restricted free agents to offer sheets (Jason David) and took fliers on Canadian Football League prospects (Delvin Breaux).

Little has worked, although Breaux has been a pleasant surprise given his modest pedigree and relative lack of experience.

The Saints have fielded a number of good cornerbacks over the years. But they've lacked the proverbial shut-down guy.

All of this historical context is meant to explain why the Saints might be so hell-bent on acquiring Malcolm Butler.

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