Winners and losers from New Orleans Saints free agency
· Yahoo Sports
After an uncharacteristically busy early free agency period, things have begun to slow down for the New Orleans Saints. A couple of big signings are already down. The major focus now is on the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Some activity will probably pick up once that goes by and veterans begin to sign again, with teams looking to plug their remaining holes and the compensatory picks deadline having passed. That'll free up some teams that are protecting their draft picks in 2027, as we've seen the Saints do in past years with Tyrann Mathieu and Jameis Winston.
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With what's already happened, here are some winners and losers after the team's moves so far:
Winner: Travis Etienne Jr.
It's hard to see how happy Etienne was to sign with New Orleans and not consider him a winner off of that alone. He's from Jennings, LA and said it was a dream of his to play for the Saints. That's not the only reason, though. He's also a winner for signing his sizable four-year, $47 million deal with $24 million guaranteed at signing. Not every running back can secure that big of a deal, given how scared teams are of regression. Lastly, he should have a lead-back role in this offense, no matter what happens with Alvin Kamara. He's no stranger to sharing backfields and is still very productive. He's also the most explosive back that New Orleans has right now.
Losers: Devin Neal and Kendre Miller
With the signings of Etienne and Ty Chandler, it's clear that the Saints want to try something new in the backfield. Chandler has less of an effect, but will fight for snaps in camp. Neal had 57 rushes for 206 yards and two scores last year, but was far from consistent. He looked good better as the season went along, expected from a rookie, but had his season cut short with a hamstring injury. Miller has yet to break 200 yards in his first three years because of constant injury issues. The team has said they are not giving up on him, but it's only going to get harder from here. With Alvin Kamara aging, these two could have been looking for increased roles next season. It'll be tougher for them now.
Winner: Tyler Shough
New Orleans is not wasting any time going all-in on the Shough hype. They are trying to turn this team into a contender as soon as possible. The Saints signed one of the best offensive linemen available in free agency in David Edwards, trying to keep Shough upright more often and give him more time to work. They've also massively upgraded their ground game, as already mentioned, which will make Shough's job easier. Etienne also had six receiving touchdowns last season. The only spot where they could have invested more right now is receiver, but the best route for that now seems to be the draft. They even added a solid receiving option at tight end behind Juwan Johnson in Noah Fant.
Loser: Saints cap-watchers
Gone are the days of free clicks from talking about how bad the New Orleans cap situation is. Khai Harley has worked his magic for long enough, and now the Saints are at a spot where they're signing deals without using void years. New Orleans isn't swimming in cash yet; it has the 24th-most cap space right now, but they have made most of their big signings. They just aren't stressing anymore.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL free agency: Winners and losers from Saints' opening moves