The New Orleans Saints were on the outside looking in on the NFC playoff race last season. They hope to change that this season. An active offseason and hefty haul from the 2024 NFL Draft allowed New Orleans to bolster their roster. They can continue to to do so by making some trades. A few trade candidates on the Saints' roster entering training camp for the 2024 season include running back Jamaal Williams, left tackle Trevor Penning, and quarterback Jake Haener.
Jamaal Williams
There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to the Saints' depth at running back. Alvin Kamara is the headliner but Jamaal Williams and 2023 third-round pick Kendre Miller are there as well. The guy who could be the odd man out of the group could be Williams for a few reasons.
For one, the Saints still have a lot of faith in Miller to be Kamara's backup and eventual successor. Injuries prevented him from proving that last season. He suffered an MCL injury late in his final season at TCU on their road to a National Championship appearance. That held the Saints rookie out for a large portion of training camp. Miller then sustained injuries to his foot, hamstring, and knee again later on in the year.
Miller is healthy now, so if that continues he should wrestle control of the backup spot in New Orleans. That could especially be the case based on Williams' performance last season. He was not very good in his first season with the Saints. A year after running for 1,066 yards and 17 touchdowns with the Detroit Lions, Williams rattled off just 306 yards and one touchdown with New Orleans.
In addition to that, Williams' yards per carry average dipped from 4.1 with Detroit to 2.9 last year. He also averaged just three yards per touch, which ranked 57th among running backs according to playerprofiler.com.
There are a number of teams who could use help at running back. The Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, and Dallas Cowboys are among those squads. Williams' contract gives his team an out after this season. He could be serviceable as a one-year rental and is a prime trade candidate for the Saints.
Trevor Penning
Trevor Penning's NFL career has not gone the way he or the Saints have wanted it to go. New Orleans used a first-round pick on him back in 2022 in hopes of him becoming their cornerstone at left tackle. That has not happened. He has been benched multiple times and is now being moved to the right side of the line after the Saints drafted Oregon State left tackle Taliese Fuaga in April.
That isn't to say that Penning's utility with the Saints has expired. With Ryan Ramczyk's health issues over the past year, Penning could actually be very valuable for New Orleans as a depth piece. That's fine, but it isn't what New Orleans drafted him to be. They should at least listen if they got a solid offer from a team that still believes in Penning.
Jake Haener
One of the most intriguing selections the Saints made during the 2024 NFL Draft was taking South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler was once regarded as a potential first-round prospect during his time at Oklahoma, but that hype soon fizzled out. He may not become a potential franchise quarterback many thought he could become, but he at least does have tools to work with.
Rattler will have every chance to win the Saints' backup quarterback competition between him and Jake Haener during training camp. Haener is no slouch either, however. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Fresno State where he played exceptionally well. In 29 games with the Bulldogs, Haener completed 68% of his passes, threw for 9,003 yards and 67 touchdowns to 17 interceptions.
If Rattler wins the Saints' backup job, there could be plenty of trade interest in Haener around the league. The Saints should be able to fetch a solid Day 3 pick for him if they choose to trade him, especially if a team suffers an injury to their quarterback room during training camp. It's never a bad idea to accumulate more draft picks, especially if all it costs is a third-string quarterback.
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