2024 offseason primer: Saints face uphill battle with NFL’s worst cap situation

The New Orleans Saints (9-8 in 2023) have been stuck in limbo for the last three seasons — not quite good enough to make it to the playoffs but not quite bad enough to draft high enough to have a shot at the Caleb Williamses or Aidan Hutchinsons of the world.

And the road doesn’t get any easier for them this offseason as the team is in the worst salary-cap situation in the NFL with a handful of important players that need re-signing and virtually no chance at landing any of the premier free agents in the 2024 class.

Dennis Allen is 16-18 in two seasons as head coach, and one would think his seat will start to get increasingly hot with every loss the Saints rack up next season. New Orleans isn’t overly great at anything, it ranked 14th in total offense, 21st in rushing offense, 13th in total defense, 22nd in run defense and 28th in sacks, and they’re tied to Derek Carr and his $35.7 million cap hit for at least one more season.

Here’s what you need to know about New Orleans’ offseason:

PROJECTED 2024 CAP SPACE:  -$81.9M (worst in NFL)

FREE AGENTS | Offense: RBs Lynn Bowden, Eno Benjamin; FB Adam Prentice; WRs Keith Kirkwood, Rashid Shaheed; TE Jimmy Graham; OT Cameron Erving; OGs Andrus Peat, Trai Turner, Max Garcia, Billy Price

Defense: DEs Kyle Phillips, Malcolm Roach; DT P.J. Mustipher; LBs Ty Summers, Andrew Dowell, Zack Baun; CBs Lonnie Johnson, Isaac Yiadom, Shemar Jean-Charles; Safety Ugo Amadi

Outlook: Shaheed enjoyed a breakout 2023 season, tying for the team lead in touchdowns (five), finishing second on the team in receiving yards (719) and third in both receptions (46) and targets (75). With Michael Thomas’ health and desire to be in New Orleans both in question, the Saints can’t afford to lose Shaheed to the open market. Additionally, Peat and Garcia are two vital pieces of the team’s offensive line, and pieces the Saints need to retain. 

Peat was the team’s primary left tackle, playing a team-high 715 snaps at the position and allowing just two sacks. Garcia chipped in at both center and right guard but primarily played at left guard in a reserve role. He allowed just eight pressures and didn’t surrender a sack on 274 offensive snaps. It would also behoove New Orleans to keep Yaidom, who surrendered the lowest completion percentage (50) and the fewest yards (289) of any Saints CB this year.

2024 DRAFT PICKS: Round 1 (No. 14 overall) | Round 2 (via Denver) | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 (via Denver)

TOP DRAFT NEEDS (in order): Edge, OG, OT, DT, CB — With the exception of receiver and linebacker, the Saints have holes everywhere on their roster. At 14th overall, it would make sense for them to take the best-available pass-rusher on the board, likely Florida State’s Jared Verse, UCLA’s Laiatu Latu or Alabama’s Dallas Turner. 

If Yiadom leaves via free agency, a cornerback like Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell or Nate Wiggins could also make sense to step into a starting role right away, and I wouldn’t rule out shoring up the offensive line with a tackle like J.C. Latham or a guard like Washington’s Troy Fautanu either. I’d also expect New Orleans to go heavy on the line — both offense and defense — in Rounds 5-7.

DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH: Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama; Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA; Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State; Troy Fautanu, OG, Washington; Christian Haynes, OG, UConn; Christian Mahogany, OG, Boston College; Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State; J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama; Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia; Jer’Zahn Newton, DT, Illinois; Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan; T’Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas; Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa; Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson; Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

THREE 2024 STORYLINES TO WATCH:

Does Allen survive the season?

Are Thomas and Alvin Kamara still a part of the team’s future?

How will the Saints become cap-compliant, and will doing so cost them any of their core players?