Page 1
Page 1
Started By
Message

2020 Offseason Primer

Posted on 1/5/20 at 10:19 pm
Posted by yaboidarrell
westbank
Member since Feb 2017
5369 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 10:19 pm
Projected Cap Space - $18.5M
# of Players under Contract - 42

QB - none
RB - Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray
FB - none
WR - Michael Thomas, Tre'Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, Krishawn Hogan, Lil-Jordan Humphrey
TE - Jared Cook, Josh Hill, Garrett Griffin, Jason Vander Laan
LT - Terron Armstead, Ethan Greenidge
LG - Nick Easton, Will Clapp
C - Erik McCoy
RG - Larry Warford
RT - Ryan Ramczyk

LE - Cameron Jordan, Mario Edwards, Carl Granderson
DT - Sheldon Rankins, Shy Tuttle
NT - Malcolm Brown, Taylor Stallworth
RE - Marcus Davenport, Trey Hendrickson
WLB - Alex Anzalone, Kaden Ellis
MLB - Demario Davis, Chase Hansen
SLB - Kiko Alonso, Craig Robertson
CB - Marshon Lattimore, Janoris Jenkins, Patrick Robinson
SS - Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Saquan Hampton
FS - Marcus Williams, J.T. Gray

K - Wil Lutz
P - Thomas Morstead
LS - none

Potential Cuts (Players I think should be cut are in bold)
Janoris Jenkins - $11.2M
Kiko Alonzo - $7.9M (played well but is injury-prone and not worth $8.7M)
Nick Easton - $4M
Patrick Robinson - $3.6M

Cutting Alonzo gives us $26.4M in cap space. Also, Brees ($15.9M), Bridgewater ($2M) and Klein ($1M) all have 2020 cap-hits but are not under contract. Brees's cap hit could be stretched another year or two to make even more cap-space.

Our FAs of note (FAs I think should be re-signed will be in bold. 2020 cap hit will be in ().)
QBs:
1) Drew Brees (UFA) - Will he back? Brees is the greatest player in Saints history re-signing him will ikely mean more restructured contracts -> more kicking the can down the road -> another waster year + screwing the future.
2) Teddy Bridgewater (UFA) - Excellent backup but not a franchise QB. Will likely get paid by some other team.
3) Taysom Hill (RFA) - Will be back. Likely gets a 2nd round tender ($3.3M).

RB/FBs:
1) Dwayne Washington (UFA) - Looked decent when he got carries. Should be back pretty cheap. ($1.5M)
2) Zach Line (UFA) - Underappreciated and important to the run game. Should be back and won't break the bank. ($1.5M)

WR/TE/OL:
nah

DL:
David Onyemama (UFA) - Disappointed this year and may have been out worst d-lineman. Probably will get overpaid by another team.

LB:
1) A.J. Klein (UFA) - He had a resurgent year. He should be brought back if we cut Alonzo. Something like 3yr, $12M. ($3M)
Teo, Martin, Anthony - All UFAs. Either of these guys could be brought back cheap and for meh depth.

CB/S:
1) P.J. Williams (UFA) - Very good against the run but inconsistent against the pass. Might get overpaid by another team. P Rob has taken his spot.
2) Vonn Bell (UFA) - same as above but you can never have enough DB depth. Should be back for ~$6-$8M/yr. ($6M)
3) Eli Apple (UFA) - same as above. Jack Rabbit has taken his spot.
Bademost, Swearinger, Hardee - nah

Re-signing T. Hill, Washington, Line, Klein and Bell will leave us with ~$11M in cap space. At least $5M should be kept for draft picks so $6M to spend on free agents. Biggest needs are starting OG, backup OT, QB, WR, LB and CB depth.

2020 Draft
We only have 5 picks this draft. Our 2nd round pick was traded for Erik McCoy and 7th for Eli Apple.
1 (24)
3 (88)
4 (our own)
5 (our own)
6 (our own)


TL;DR: Cap space will be extremely tight if we re-sign Brees. Might be better off riding the pine with T Hill. OL, WR and overall depth are HUGE needs. Only got 5 draft picks.



Posted by SD Tider
San Diego
Member since May 2019
2500 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 10:20 pm to
Thanks for this, excellent work
Posted by WicKed WayZ
Louisiana Forever
Member since Sep 2011
31590 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 10:32 pm to
Even if the cap jumps 10 million we’re still fricked.

Gonna have to let some good players go because you know the FO is keeping Brees. I think Klein and Onyemata walk. We keep Bell and PJ. We’ll cut and re-sign Jenkins to a cheaper deal
Posted by Tigeralltheway
Member since Jan 2014
2571 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 10:34 pm to
No way we keep Pj
Posted by ulsaint
Member since Oct 2007
2460 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 10:43 pm to
Good breakdown. Until we know what’s up with Brees it’s going to be hard to predict.

I’d seriously field offers for Kamara.
Posted by sicboy
Because Awesome
Member since Nov 2010
77601 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 10:46 pm to
quote:

I’d seriously field offers for Kamara.


Not saying I disagree, but it kind of blows my mind that we would lose Ingram and Kamara in back to back offseasons.
Posted by WicKed WayZ
Louisiana Forever
Member since Sep 2011
31590 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 11:01 pm to
Kamara just isn’t used the same as he was in 2017. That’s partly why he’s so ineffective. Teams just put DBs on him now and he can’t win against DBs, and since that’s happening he isn’t half the player he used to be. He can’t run like Ingram or Murray. So better off to get someone who can but someone who can still catch and be a threat out of the backfield.

You’re better off having backs like Mostert, Coleman and Jeff Wilson. Versatile backs that all do the same thing. Kamara and Murray are too different and it tips teams off too easily and if we’re being honest, Kamara just isn’t as good of a runner as we thought. His vision is subpar and he doesn’t hit the hole or break the tackles he used to when he was smaller and shiftier. He’s not an RB1. He’s gotten bigger and stiffer somehow. He used to play lower, be quicker. He didn’t play like that last year or the year before. And if Payton isn’t using him in the passing game, which is what made him great in the first place, he’s kind of useless
This post was edited on 1/5/20 at 11:03 pm
Posted by Will The Tiger
Member since Oct 2018
133 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 11:14 pm to
No PJ, Apple, onyemata next season. I liked how Alonso looked this season. Side note: why in the hell could we not retain Boston Scott? Thought he fit into this system perfectly before Philly claimed him.
Posted by LSU_30A
Member since Jan 2019
2921 posts
Posted on 1/5/20 at 11:29 pm to
Kamara played through a bad ankle injury for most of the season which robbed him of some of his explosiveness. To say he can’t run like Ingram or Murray is ridiculous. He’s much faster and more agile than either of those guys he’s just not a Derrick Henry between the tackles 20x a game guy. He’s at his best getting 12-15 touches a game mostly as a receiver out of the backfield while Murray should be given 15+ carries to get in a groove just like we did with Ingram. People saying Onyemata was our worst DL this year are wrong too. He was one of the main reasons we were so tough against the run all year long and he’s versatile enough to play 3 tech and nose tackle. With Rankins future uncertain I would offer him around 3 years $12-15 million and I bet he takes it. I’m most worried about Taysom Hill. There could be a few teams willing to give a 2nd round pick and pay him a sizable contract that we just won’t be able to match. I can see a team giving him 4 years $20-25 million which isn’t big money for a QB but we won’t be able to even match something like that.
Posted by Unknown_Poster
Member since Jun 2013
5758 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 12:20 am to
They'll keep Brees... it'll be a huge mistake but they'll keep him. I wouldn't have a problem trading for Kamara if the right deal is offered. The biggest issue is this team needs to overhaul it's offensive philosophy and I don't think that's going to happen under Payton. Brees is at the John Elway stage of his career. He is no longer capable of carrying this team into the postseason.
Posted by Geauxgurt
Member since Sep 2013
10457 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 12:27 am to
Biggest question is at QB. What happens with Brees and our Cap issues now and moving forward.

I love Brees, but he's not the QB he was before and will hamstring the team for the near future.

The window is pretty much shut now, which is why it is so ridiculous they didn't make any moves in the trade realm this season. As much as they mortgaged the future for these past 3 years that ended in failure given what was sacrificed, they need to start moving forward.

There are some restructures available out there, but not sure how much those are worth it in reality.

The QB issue is the huge elephant in the room, unless Brees takes a major home-town discount and we spread it out.

I think you use next year to build for the future without Brees if he doesn't stick around cheap, and honestly play Taysom and get a rookie QB in round 1.

You may also try a reclamation project in a guy like Mariota. In the end, the dynasty is basically done, but it was fun while it lasted I guess.

Brees got to two NFC title games and a super Bowl in his first 4 years as a Saint. In the last 10, he made 1 NFC Championship game. Sad that it was wasted.
Posted by htran90
BC
Member since Dec 2012
30111 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 1:28 am to
quote:

The window is pretty much shut now, which is why it is so ridiculous they didn't make any moves in the trade realm this season. As much as they mortgaged the future for these past 3 years that ended in failure given what was sacrificed, they need to start moving forward.



the window is essentially 1 more year.
Going into 2020, if the projected cap of 203.5mil holds true, like OP stated we have roughly 18.5mil.

We don't have a vast amount of holes either. starters in total is 5. backups 7.

Starters we need to fill:
Offense: QB, LG, and WR2
Defense: MLB, SS

Backups we need to fill:
Offense: QB2, WR4, OT3, RB3
Defense: DT3, LB3, DB4

Notable things that can be done to open cap space:
Extend Larry Warford - going to be 29 and in his last year of his contract. He isn't elite, but he's a steady presence, good enough to keep for another few years.
- Extend him 2/18mil, 8-10mil signing
- Frees up 4-5mil
- That would put him around the 15th highest paid guard

Extend Demario Davis - going to be 30 and in his last year of his contract. He's definitely showed to be elite and a veteran presence here. Reward him now, keep him another few years.
- Extend him 2/25mil, 10mil signing
- Frees up 3-4mil
- That would put him around 10th highest paid ILB/OLB

Extend Jared Cook - 2nd year of his 2 year contract. showed he can be used here, showed a lot of potential to be a guy we should definitely keep
- Extend him 1/8mil, fully guaranteed
- Frees up 2mil

Pay Cut for Kiko - he's a nice addition, but he's not worth 7.85mil in cap space.
- Either cut to save 7.85mil or more likely a pay cut of 4mil this year for an extension into next year.

Those 4 moves frees up nearly 20mil which is what its likely going to go towards paying Brees.

Now you're able to spend
Posted by mm2316
New Orleans Pelicans Fan
Member since Aug 2010
6942 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 8:18 am to
quote:

Potential Cuts (Players I think should be cut are in bold)
Nick Easton - $4M


I don't think we'll find another Guard that will give us as good of snaps as Easton did for $4m. Easton should absolutely be on the team next season.
Posted by yaboidarrell
westbank
Member since Feb 2017
5369 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 4:00 pm to
quote:

I don't think we'll find another Guard that will give us as good of snaps as Easton did for $4m. Easton should absolutely be on the team next season.

Agreed. Just listed him as the potential savings are there. The only player that'll likely get cut is Kiko Alonso and maybe Janoris Jenkins.
This post was edited on 1/6/20 at 4:03 pm
Posted by GMoney2600
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2005
14108 posts
Posted on 1/6/20 at 11:48 pm to
Solid thread...I didn't want to start a new thread, so I'll just post this here.

The players in bold are under contract for the 2020 season. We have 53 players under contract, & the off-season roster max is 90 total players.

QB(0)
-Drew Brees - UFA (carries a 15.9 mil cap hit in 2020)
-Teddy Bridgewater - UFA (carries a 2.0 mil cap hit in 2020)
-Taysom Hill - RFA

RB(3)
-Alvin Kamara - 1.22 mil (2020)
-Latavius Murray - 4.05 mil (2022)
-Dwayne Washington - UFA
-Taquan Mizzell - 660 k (2020)

FB(1)
-Ricky Ortiz - 585 k (2020)

WR(9)
-Mike Thomas - 15.0 mil (2024)
-Ted Ginn - UFA
-Tre'Quan Smith - 912 k (2021)
-Deonte Harris - 588 k (2021)
-Keith Kirkwood - ERFA
-Austin Carr - RFA
-Lil'Jordan Humphrey - 585 k (2020)
-Emmanuel Butler - 510 k (2021)
-Krishawn Hogan - 585 k (2020)
-Tim White - ???
-Tommylee Lewis - 735 k (2020)
-Maurice Harris - 735 k (2020)

TE(5)
-Jared Cook - 9.0 mil (2020)
-Josh Hill - 2.845 mil (2021)
-Garrett Griffin - 660 k (2020)
-Jason Vander Laan - 660 k (2020)
-Cole Wick - 660 k (2020)

OC(1)
-Erik McCoy - 1.381 mil (2022)
-Cameron Tom - RFA

OG(3)
-Larry Warford - 12.875 mil (2020)
-Nick Easton - 5.343 mil (2022)
-Andrus Peat - UFA
-Will Clapp - 678 k (2021)
-Patrick Omameh - UFA

OT(4)
-Terron Armstead - 15.968 mil (2021)
-Ryan Ramczyk - 2.829 mil (2020) 5th year option
-Ethan Greenidge - 587 k (2021)
-Derrick Kelly - 510 k (2021)

ST(2)
-Wil Lutz - 4.2 mil (2024)
-Thomas Morstead - 4.3 mil (2022)
-Zach Wood - RFA

DT(6)
-Sheldon Rankins - 7.69 mil (2020)
-Malcom Brown - 6.0 mil (2021)
-David Onyemata - UFA
-Mario Edwards - 3.24 mil (2020)
-Shy Tuttle - 586 k (2021)
-Taylor Stallworth - 813 k (2020)
-Jalen Dalton - 510 k (2021)

DE(5)
-Cam Jordan - 8.347 mil (2023)
-Marcus Davenport - 3.747 mil (2021) 5th year option
-Trey Hendrickson - 935 k (2020)
-Carl Granderson - 590 k (2021)
-Noah Spence - UFA
-Mitchell Loewen - 585 k (2020)

LB(7)
-Demario Davis - 9.9 mil (2020)
-Kiko Alonso - 8.675 mil (2020)
-AJ Klein - UFA (carries a 1.0 mil cap hit in 2020)
-Alex Anzalone - 1.025 mil (2020)
-Craig Robertson - 2.4 mil (2020)
-Kaden Elliss - 604 k (2022)
-Chase Hansen - 586 k (2021)
-Manti Te'o - UFA
-Stephone Anthony - UFA
-Colton Jumper - ERFA
-Josh Martin - UFA
-Andrew Dowell - 510 k (2021)

CB(3)
-Marshon Lattimore - 4.887 mil (2020) 5th year option
-Janoris Jenkins - 11.25 mil (2020)
-Eli Apple - UFA
-PJ Williams - UFA
-Patrick Robinson - 6.15 mil (2021)
-Justin Hardee - RFA
-Johnson Bademosi - UFA

S(4)
-Marcus Williams - 1.985 mil (2020)
-Vonn Bell - UFA
-Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - 781 k (2022)
-J.T. Gray - ERFA
-D.J. Swearinger - UFA
-Saquan Hampton - 633 k (2022)
-Chris Johnson - 510 k (2021)
This post was edited on 3/3/20 at 12:22 pm
Posted by WicKed WayZ
Louisiana Forever
Member since Sep 2011
31590 posts
Posted on 1/7/20 at 8:27 am to
PRob will almost assuredly get cut.



But all this is moot. Unless Payton overhauls his offense and we become a run first team, this same shite will happen next year
Posted by tigersquad89
Raleigh, NC
Member since Oct 2014
7897 posts
Posted on 1/7/20 at 8:33 am to
Good work except the onyametta take. He played great. The saints once again were great against the run and he was a big contributor
Posted by GMoney2600
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2005
14108 posts
Posted on 1/7/20 at 9:22 am to
quote:

PRob will almost assuredly get cut.



He did improve a lot by the end of the year, but that cap # is just too high. I guess he could stay if he restructured or took a pay cut.

Hopefully the FO makes the right decisions with CB, b/c we have a lot of options to choose from.

quote:

Unless Payton overhauls his offense and we become a run first team, this same shite will happen next year


We really do need to run the ball much better next year. I like Easton as backup, but not for that high of a cap #. He was solid at LG for a fill in, but I'd rather find a legit starter.

Unfortunately, the draft might be the only way to acquire that since we can't exactly spend top dollar on a top notch LG in F.A.

McCoy & Ramczyk are still on rookie contracts. No issue here.

Armstead makes a shite load, but he's worth it if he stays healthy. He really needs to have an elite year in 2020.

I'm ok with Warford at RG, but his cap # is a little high for my liking.
This post was edited on 1/7/20 at 9:26 am
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram