Heading into salary cap hell, the New Orleans Saints had quite the busy offseason, one that also saw them get a new head coach. Through the 2022 NFL Draft and a bevy of offseason moves, the Saints have tried to put themselves in a position to be postseason-bound yet again – but was it enough?

With Sean Payton retiring, former NO defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was promoted to HC, keeping some continuity for a team that needs to keep some familiar faces in important roles. With the roster taking shape, how will this team look in Allen’s first season at the helm?

Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click here for a free trial)

Saints Offseason Grades

Starting with the NFL Draft, the Saints only had five draft picks at their disposal this time around, including two first-round selections. With those first two picks, they were able to add some much-needed depth to two key offensive positions.

Wide receiver Chris Olave was their first choice, and the former Buckeye WR looks to become the next successful OSU wideout to lead this team. With Michael Thomas having paved that path already, it looks like both Olave and Thomas could form a solid 1-2 punch for Jameis Winston this season.

The second first-round selection was Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning, and this offensive tackle is a massive bookend that will help solidify one of the tackle positions for 10+ years. Coming out of a small school may worry some, but Penning is the real deal and looks like he has the right mauler attitude about him to play in the league.

CB Alontae Taylor, ILB D’Marco Jackson, and DT Jordan Jackson make up the rest of their draft class, and while each player can help hold down a role on the defensive side of the ball, none of which currently project as having major roles right away in 2022.

In free agency, the Saints were able to retain a lot of their own talent, re-signing Winston, Tre’quan Smith, P.J. Williams, and others, while they brought in a ton of fresh talent.

The safety position was completely overhauled, as both Marcus Maye (3/$22.5M) and Tyrann Mathieu (3/$28.3M) were signed to help improve their pass coverage. Both Maye and Mathieu have plenty left to give the Saints, and Allen will be very happy that a big aspect of his defense has been addressed.

Financially, 13 different players restructured their contracts this offseason for the Saints, helping free up a ton of cap space that helped them sign Maye, Mathieu, and a plethora of other players. The restructures of both Marshon Lattimore ($18.45M) and Ryan Ramcyzk ($14.5M) freed up the most space, opening up more than $30 million in total cash.

The recovery/return of Michael Thomas from his injury and the ongoing legal situation surrounding Alvin Kamara’s off-season incident are the two big storylines that will need to be followed for the Saints this offseason. Even if Kamara ultimately is suspended for half the season, if Michael Thomas is able to return, then he will be able to help plug the gap in the offense for the time being.

All in all, the Saints did a lot with little to work with this offseason, a sign that they have all the right pieces in place on both their coaching staff and front office, and this team likely will be fighting for a playoff spot yet again this upcoming NFL season.

Final Grade: A-