Saints 2019 free agents: Stay or go?

LINK Interesting article. Only one I disagree with is Josh Hill. I think we re-sign Hill, & have he & Arnold as our backups again. Probably replace Watson with a high draft pick or vet F.A.

Not saying we need him on the initial 53 in 2019, but I think Crawley at least deserves a chance to make the team. I wouldn't invest too much into him though. I think Davison will be back as long as he doesn't ask for too much money.

DEZ BRYANT, WR
The Saints made arguably the move of the year when they signed the wide receiver, only to watch him go down with a season ending injury on the last play of his second practice. Placed on injured reserve, there’s still a chance the Saints could sign him to another short term deal for the 2019 season, a chance they should take.

Stay or go? Stay.

MARK INGRAM, RB
The Saints’ lead back turned 28 back in December and has one year left on his contract. Used sparingly early in his career, Ingram enjoys relatively good health for a back his age as a result. Last season, he and Alvin Kamara led football with 23 rushing touchdowns and now Ingram is still looking to reprise that production this year, as well. The Saints want him around, but will the two sides be able to come to terms both prefer?

Stay or go? Stay.

TEDDY BRIDGEWATER, QB
The Saints recently re-structured the deal for their backup quarterback, adding two voidable years to the arrangement in order to spread the cap hit out longer. It is automatically set to void 10 days prior to the start of the 2019 league year. New Orleans handed over a third round pick to the Jets for the 25 year old signal caller. Will they keep him around the develop him as the heir apparent to Drew Brees, or deal him to another quarterback-needy team and recoup some of their lost draft picks? General manager Mickey Loomis turned some heads recently by saying that the team will keep their options open moving forward.

Stay or go? Stay.

MANTI TE’O, LB
The veteran linebacker came to New Orleans last offseason and was an immediate aid for the Saints’ front seven in his initial year with the club, serving primarily as a run defender. While the team wants to get younger here, they could make room for Te’o, but first they want to make sure he heals from his lingering knee injury properly.

Stay or go? Go.

BRANDON MARSHALL, WR
The Saints brought in Marshall after losing Bryant to that practice injury after previously hosting him for a workout along with the other receiver and Kamar Aiken. The veteran wideout has not been active for any of the games he has been eligible for, with Sean Payton citing poor scheme fit. If a future decision comes down to Bryant and Marshall, one name clearly sticks out.

Stay or go? Go.

BENJAMIN WATSON, TE
The veteran pass catcher came back to New Orleans on a one year deal this offseason after a stint with the Saints from 2013 to 2015. It’s unlikely that Watson will come back in 2019 with the team likely drafting a younger option and looking toward the future. Then again, that could change if the tight end has a particularly good outing over the rest of the 2018 season.

Stay or go? Go.

JOSH HILL, TE
The younger of the Saints tight ends, Hill usually waits until the playoffs to make his biggest contribution to the team, but the first few weeks of 2018 have seen Hill make a few important catches already. Time will tell if the Saints believe the 28 year old is the kind of player they want to keep around a little longer at the position.

Stay or go? Go.

CRAIG ROBERTSON, LB
Robertson appeared on 74.7 percent of the Saints’ defensive snaps last season, providing a much-needed consistent presence in the midst of a series of high-profile injuries to starter and backup alike, playing on over 75 percent of 13 games in 2017, including every snap of two games, over 80 percent in 10 games, and over 90 percent in five appearances.

Stay or go? Stay.

JUSTIN HARDEE, CB
A former wide receiver in college, Hardee made his name with the Saints as a special teams coverage man, last season blocking a punt against Tampa Bay that went for a touchdown. This season, the Cleveland native made some noise with an interception in the Redskins game that he nearly returned for a touchdown when Lattimore was out. Hardee might be a player the Saints want to develop at the position, which could use some improvement.

Stay or go? Stay.

TYELER DAVISON, DT
Davison, the former fifth round pick from 2015, handled most of the snaps from the defensive interior in the 2017 season and was set to get major exposure again this year before being slowed somewhat by a foot injury, missing their games against Cleveland and Atlanta. The emergence of Taylor Stallworth in his place could make this a more difficult decision.

Stay or go? Stay.

KEN CRAWLEY, CB
At one point last season, Crawley was the highest graded cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, especially after his season debut in Week 4 against Miami, in which he recorded an interception that helped preserve a shutout. This season, things have not gone as well, especially in the Atlanta game, and he was briefly benched from his starting role in favor of P.J. Williams. Then, the team traded for Eli Apple. Is Crawley’s time up?

Stay or go? Go.

WIL LUTZ, K
This is a contract that the Saints will create and a player who should be in New Orleans next season and longer. The kicker has accounted for 109 of their 409 points in the first 11 games of the season, and his game clinching kick kept the team from dropping to 0-2 in a game against Cleveland early in the season.

Stay or go? Stay.