The New Orleans Saints were right there in the running for Ndamukong Suh before he ultimately decided to sign with the Los Angeles Rams. However, it seems that while the Saints bought a ticket to the Suh sweepstakes, defensive tackle isn’t actually part of the team’s list of top three positions which are considered main priorities this offseason.
According to Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune, Saints coach Sean Payton considers defensive end/edge rusher, tight end, and wide receiver as the positions which New Orleans “must” address either through free agency or the draft.
“Those ‘musts' don't have any flexibility,” Payton said. “We have to accomplish that. Now there's still a lot of time and opportunities if you will prior to the draft. But certainly we've got to look closely at that.”
The Saint still don’t appear to be completely satisfied at edge rusher even after re-signing Alex Okafor, who is coming back from a ruptured Achilles. Although, the team has just brought back veteran Benjamin Watson, who could be the final addition to a tight end depth chart that already includes Coby Fleener, Josh Hill, and Michael Hoomanawanui.
Meanwhile, the Saints recently met with restricted free agent wideout Cameron Meredith as a possible addition alongside Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr.
With a month to go before the draft, Payton and the Saints still have a lot of time to evaluate all their different options at those other “must” positions. And if they continue to hit with those positions in the draft like they have in previous years, they should be in pretty good shape heading into next season.
