Things went south for the New Orleans Saints after a 2-0 start, and eventually head coach Dennis Allen got pushed aside. Now they’re getting trade calls for a key defensive player. And here are two trade offers the Saints must make at the deadline after firing Allen.
The 2024 season crumbled to the ground as the Saints watched Panthers’ QB Bryce Young line up in victory formation for the first time in 20 career NFL starts. The Saints allowed Young to hit on 16 of 26 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown in the 23-22 Panthers’ win Sunday.
With no hope of turning things around, the Saints need to get some chips in the pile for 2025 and beyond. The bad thing is they don’t have a lot to offer. That’s why they sit at 2-7 on the season. But edge rusher Chase Young and defensive back Marshon Lattimore should bring some trade interest.
Saints DE Chase Young needs to be dealt
The second-overall pick in the 202 NFL Draft, Young turned in a great first season. He earned a Pro Bowl spot and captured AP defensive rookie of the year honors by totaling 7.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 44 tackles.
But injuries turned him into a often-absent player, and mediocre when he did play. He revived his career somewhat with San Francisco in 2023, but hasn’t been a great factor for the Saints this season.
General manager Mickey Loomis seemed non-committal about whether the Saints would be active in the trade market, according to audacy.com via profootballnetwork.com.
“When you’re in a losing streak, you’re calling those teams looking to see if they’re sellers, right,” Loomis said. “And so we’ll get a number of calls, and we’ll respond accordingly. I’m not really one who thinks that trading away half your roster makes a lot of sense at this point for, generally, what I think are undervalued offers.”
But Loomis didn’t close the door.
“I mean, we’re gonna do what we think is best for our team for right now and going forward,” he said. “I would never say never about trading somebody, but I think generally at this time of the year the offers don’t necessarily match the talent that you’re giving up.”
Should Saints make any moves at all?
At age 25, Young may still have plenty of football ahead of him. He’s a former elite prospect, so there’s always a chance he finds a groove with a new franchise. And if you look at the Saints roster, there aren’t easy fixes to becoming a contender. This looks more and more like a scrap-and-rebuild situation. So if they could prod a reasonable draft pick out of another team, why not do it?
As for Lattimore, he seems even more likely than Young to get a new NFL address. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Chiefs have dialed Loomis about the availability of the veteran cornerback. However, Lattimore’s hamstring injury could scare off potential trade suitors.
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