Plagued by injuries at receiver and along the offensive line, the New Orleans Saints underperformed with a 7-10 record in the first year under coach Denis Allen. In one-score games, the Saints finished 5-6, headlined by gut-wrenching losses to the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Minnesota Vikings.

It was essentially a season of two halves for the defense, which gave up a whopping 28.5 points per game through the first seven games before containing the final 10 opponents to just 14.5 PPG.

Despite the injuries and being held back by the play at quarterback, New Orleans' offense finished right in the middle of the pack in passing metrics and slightly below average in running the football.

But if the Saints are going to take the next step under quarterback Derek Carr and emerge as a serious playoff contender, they're going to need to surround him with a strong supporting cast.

After breaking down the Saints' game-by-game predictions, let's examine the perfect move the team can make to fill out the Saints' roster before training camp kicks off in a few weeks.

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Perfect move: Saints trade for WR Hunter Renfrow

The Saints' depth chart features immense upside at receiver, but there's questionable depth.

Michael Thomas was one of the NFL's top receivers during his first four seasons, but he's now on the wrong side of 30 and has been plagued with injuries, appearing in just 10 games since the end of the 2019 season.

With Thomas and Jarvis Landry sidelined early on in the season, Chris Olave stepped up and flourished as one of the league's top rookies at any position. Despite being keyed in on by opposing defenses as the go-to target for Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston, Olave finished with 72 receptions for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns.

Rashid Shaheed also really impressed as a rookie UDFA and legitimate deep threat down the stretch, hauling in 20 receptions for 324 yards and a score in the team's final five games.

There's also a lot to like about seventh-round rookie A.T. Perry, who could prove to be one of this year's top late-round draft steals. But he's most likely competing with Tre'Quan Smith for the WR4 role on the Saints' roster.

Swiss-Army knife Taysom Hill remains a potential X-factor any time he steps on the field after compiling 892 all-purpose yards (with a career-high 575 rushing yards) and 11 touchdowns last season.

New Orleans has already signed three of Carr's teammates from Las Vegas, a team that's now stacked with slot receivers in Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Renfrow, DeAndre Carter, and third-round rookie Tre Tucker.

Why Renfrow?

Hunter Renfrow, 27, is coming off a very disappointing, injury-plagued season, but the former 2019 fifth-round pick was terrific in 2021, hauling in 103 of 128 targets for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns.

While a trade doesn't necessarily seem imminent, things can change quickly for veteran NFL players that have one year left on their contract. Renfrow has a 50 percent chance of being traded before the start of the season, according to The Athletic's Vic Tafur, who adds that Renfrow has found himself “in the same boat” as Derek Carr and Darren Waller, who “weren't fits with [coach] McDaniels” and were traded earlier this offseason to the Saints and Giants, respectively.

Las Vegas would save more than $11.2 million against the 2023 salary cap by trading Hunter Renfrow.

Renfrow has already shown excellent chemistry with Derek Carr as a trusted target and chain-moving receiver that can create more chances for other receivers on the Saints' roster to make plays downfield.

If he becomes available, Saints beat writer Nick Underhill thinks the team should make the trade.

The addition of Renfrow would serve as a ripple effect for the Saints' offense. It would open up more opportunities for Olave and Shaheed and give them the flexibility to line up all over the formation while taking some of the pressure off of Thomas as the only veteran presence in the receiver room.

New Orleans currently has the 12th most cap space at $14.2 million, while the cap-strapped Raiders have the slot receiver depth and financial incentive to move on, as they're third-to-last with $3 million, per Spotrac.

The Saints already have much-needed insurance for the anticipated Alvin Kamara suspension with the arrivals of third-round rookie Kendre Miller and free agent Jamaal Williams, who led the league with 17 rushing touchdowns last season. It's time for New Orleans to get some insurance at receiver and make the Hunter Renfrow trade.