The New Orleans Saints' 2018 season came to a controversial and heartbreaking end in the NFC Championship Game this past weekend as they fell to the Los Angeles Rams 26-23 in overtime. The Saints, with Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees returning for at least one more go, will look to reload and continue their reign as one of the best teams in the league in the 2019 offseason.
While the team boasted one of the most prolific offenses and a defense that stepped up to make plays when most needed, New Orleans did not achieve its ultimate goal of making and winning the Super Bowl. This means there is most certainly room for improvement on both sides of the ball.
The team only has six picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and just one in the first four rounds, so they can't rely on the new class of players to fill major needs. The Saints will have to look to free agency to make some moves and try to fill some big holes.
New Orleans holds just $19 million of cap space, so they will have to spend their money wisely and make moves on players that might not be as highlighted as others.
Here are three under-the-radar free agents the New Orleans Saints should target in the 2019 offseason.
3. C.J. Uzomah, Tight End
The New Orleans Saints have had a gaping hole at tight end ever since they traded Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks. While it worked out as they received arguably the best center in the league at the time in Max Unger, they gave up one of the best playmakers in franchise history and have not been able to replace him since, even with trying to revive Coby Fleener's career two years ago.
The Saints will need to throw some money at the tight end position in free agency and with no huge names on the board, they might just be able to make a move at Cincinnati Bengals' tight end C.J. Uzomah. He came on strong in the 2018 season, replacing the injured Tyler Eifert and recording 439 yards and three touchdowns on 43 catches.
While the Bengals will probably try to re-sign Uzomah as they likely look to move away from the injury-prone Eifert, the Saints should look to make a better play for him and bring him to New Orleans. This would be a big splash for the team as they can't rely on the aging Josh Hill and the unproven Dan Arnold to carry their red zone offense into the future.
2. Sheldon Richardson, Defensive Tackle
Sheldon Rankins has emerged as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL over the last few years, but he unfortunately went down with a torn Achilles in the team's Divisional Round win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The New Orleans Saints know that this will likely be a long recovery process, so finding someone to step up in his place is key.
This is where the Saints must make their biggest move. While names like Ndamukong Suh and Grady Jarrett are the biggest on the market, they will likely not be able to afford their asking prices. This leaves Minnesota Vikings' lineman Sheldon Richardson ripe for the picking for the Saints. Richardson signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Vikings going into the 2018 season and he ended up having a turnaround season, recording 4.5 sacks and 49 tackles.
The $8 million price tag Richardson had during the 2018 season will likely stay around that same mark. That opens the door for the Saints to swoop in and pick him up so he can fill Rankins' hole on the defensive line while he recovers from his injury that could keep him out of the entire 2019 season.
1. K.J. Wright, Outside Linebacker
The New Orleans Saints could let both Manti Te'o and Craig Robertson walk in free agency this year with the emergence of Alex Anzalone and A.J. Klein. However, they will need to add one more big name for their linebacking corps and they could easily target Seattle Seahawks' linebacker K.J. Wright.
Wright's signing could be a risky one for the Saints after he suffered several knee injuries that kept him on the sidelines for most of the year. However, through just five games, Wright was well on his way to recording 73 tackles. While that is down from four straight seasons of over 100 tackles, this could work out in the Saints' favor.
The Seahawks might look to move on from Wright this season after Bobby Wagner gave another Pro Bowl effort and both Austin Calitro and Barkevious Mingo had good seasons. With DeMario Davis having a terrific season for New Orleans, he could easily slide inside and leave the weakside open for Wright to wreak havoc on the NFC South.
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