Ndamukong Suh could end up in New Orleans after all

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The New Orleans Saints tried to make a splash in free agency last season by courting defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but to no avail. Suh chose to sign with the Los Angeles Rams instead, where he played beneath his standards and ultimately lost Super Bowl LIII. You hate to see it.

But the Saints could go for a second try with Suh. His one-year, $14 million contract with the Rams is set to expire, and his stock isn’t as high as it was a year ago. A contract projection from Spotrac estimates his value at three years, $27.9 million with an average salary of around $9.3 million. That’s reasonable to say the least, and compares well to other players of Suh’s stature such as Carolina Panthers starter Dontari Poe ($9.33 million per year) and Detroit Lions stud Damon Harrison ($9.25 million). If accurate, that number is well within the Saints’ budget.

Why would the Saints have interest in Suh? Here’s their two-deep defensive line depth chart from last season, and how it shakes out to kick off the offseasonLeft end: Cameron Jordan (healthy, awesome)
Nose tackle: Tyeler Davison (free agent), Taylor Stallworth (impressive rookie)
Rush tackle: Sheldon Rankins (recovering from Achilles surgery), David Onyemata (possible suspension)
Right end: Marcus Davenport (recovering from toe surgery), Alex Okafor (free agent)

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That leaves two starters (Rankins, Davenport) on the mend, another starter (Davison) and a big contributor (Okafor) headed for free agency, and a likely-starter (Onyemata) possibly being unavailable to start the year. There’s no time table for Rankins to return, and Onyemata’s status is up in the air. The Saints need a sure thing somewhere on the defensive line. Suh wouldn’t just start right away in New Orleans, he’d be a featured star.

The statline Suh put up in 2018 was less than exciting, sure. He logged just 4.5 sacks and 19 other quarterback hits in the regular season while playing second fiddle to Aaron Donald. But even those depressed numbers would be a godsend for the Saints. If Suh posted the same production in those categories for the Saints in 2018, he would have tied Davenport and Onyemata in sacks while trailing only Jordan in hits. Yeah, they can use him.

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Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke admirably of Suh, saying “He has a tremendous presence. He’s a real good football player. He’s explosive. He has size. He’s smart. Those are some of the challenges he presents.” For his part, Suh relayed that he enjoyed his visit with the Saints and has close friends on the team in offensive linemen Larry Warford and Jermon Bushrod. Ultimately, his business pursuits outside of football led him to L.A. But if the Rams aren’t interested in signing him long-term, the Saints could be in position to pounce.

Suh also has a reputation as a dirty player. He’s put himself in the spotlight with some cheap shots and poor decisions in the past, but has been on his best behavior in recent years. Suh was penalized 21 times over the last two seasons, but seven of those fouls were declined or nullified by offsetting flags. Of the 14 accepted penalties, just six were player safety issues: fouls such as roughing the passer, unnecessary roughness, or a horse-collar tackle. That’s typical in today’s NFL, when referees are happy to throw flags outside of the last two minutes in the NFC championship game.

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Anyway, don’t let anyone tell you Suh is a thug, or that signing him would hurt the team. He’s exactly what the Saints need at defensive tackle.

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