The New Orleans Saints have gotten off to an uneven start in the 2020 season, handling their business against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before getting upset by the Las Vegas Raiders. And much of that instability has been drawn from how 2021 free agents-to-be are playing.
To their credit, the Saints identified the most important names on their 2021 list and signed them to contract extensions: running back Alvin Kamara and linebacker Demario Davis were their top priorities.
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But where do they go from here? Let’s check in on each pending free agent:
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There have been some ups and downs to Williams’ first two games, but that really tells the story of his career so far. He created the first turnover of the season by intercepting Tom Brady in Week 1, and he’s already credited with double-digit tackles while playing predominately as a single-high free safety.
But the tackles Williams hasn’t made have been concerning, especially after he spent the offseason bulking up and studying film to clean it up. Paw 3 0 12. He was bowled over by Raiders running back Josh Jacobs last week and was as ineffective as anyone else in tackling tight end Darren Waller.
Williams has also hurt the Saints with a killer 45-yard penalty for defensive pass interference in Week 1 when matched up with Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans on a simple route streaking down the sideline. Happy birthday casino. He’s started 53 games for New Orleans but is still making rookie mistakes.
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Hendrickson has been the breakout player for the defense; he currently leads the team in tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage (7), including a pair of sacks. Home behind 1 2. The 42.5 snaps per game he’s played are the highest of his career. With Marcus Davenport starting the year on the mend, Hendrickson has been a welcome relief to the defensive line in his fourth season.
He feels like the kind of player the Saints won’t be able to re-sign in the spring. With the salary cap plummeting and entrenched starters due new contracts, New Orleans will have to let some good players walk away. How big of a surprise would it be if Hendrickson goes on to become the next Shaquill Barrett, who had three sacks in his final year with the Denver Broncos before leading the NFL after the Buccaneers gave him an opportunity?
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Cook’s start to 2020 hasn’t been quite as slow as his 2019 debut (when he caught 4 of 10 targets for 62 yards in the first two weeks), but he still hasn’t consistently looked to be on the same page with Drew Brees. Cook has secured seven of the 12 throws sent his way, gaining 93 yards and scoring on a goal-line touchdown pass, which is solid production. But he’s throttled down on several routes in critical situations, leading to errant throws from Brees that looked a whole lot worse at the time. Data creator 1 7 14.
The good news is that Brees and Cook are pro’s pros; they’ll put in the work to get back to their high-flying ways. We saw it last year and again in the season opener when Brees timed his throw perfectly in sync with Cook’s route down the sideline, connecting on a 46-yard completion — the longest play from scrimmage for New Orleans so far.
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Anzalone has started each of the Saints’ first two games, playing 71% of defensive snaps next to Demario Davis. His athleticism is a huge addition to the defense, and that’s reflected in his stats sheet. Eight of his 9 tackles are credited as assists, which shows how frequently Anzalone rallies to the football and helps finish plays.
You’d like to see him knifing through gaps to create more tackles for loss (he only has two tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage in as many weeks), but we’ll write that off as hesitancy from last year’s season-ending shoulder injury. More big plays are coming, if he can stay healthy.
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It’s been a quiet start to the year for Rankins. He’s played exactly 43 snaps in each of the first two games (back up to his 2018 and 2017 levels, when he was last healthy) but it hasn’t resulted in much production. He had a pair of quarterback hits against Tampa Bay but was shut out of the box score in Week 2, even after the Raiders rushed a rookie backup into the left guard spot.
On the other hand: Rankins is moving better than he has in years. He’s added a nice spin move to his toolbox. Like other players rebounding from season-ending injuries, it could take some time before he’s producing as actively as you’d hope to see.
But the Saints run so deep at defensive tackle that a player who did make an impact last year, Shy Tuttle, hasn’t dressed in the first two weeks. If Rankins can’t turn it on, New Orleans may have to make a move so they can get their best players on the field.
(AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Williams missed the first game with a hamstring injury, but he resumed his role as the team’s dime back in Week 2. And he immediately made an impact with seven tackles (five solo, two assists) and a fumble recovery, though he was victimized in one-on-one coverage against Darren Waller as badly as everyone else. It happens.
If this is his role — as the Saints’ sixth defensive back, behind the starting duos at safety and corner and nickel back C.J. Gardner-Johnson — then he’s well worth the $2 million or so New Orleans is paying him this year. And that’s a reasonable rate for a player like him to return on in 2021. But it’s easy to see a scenario where Williams thrives against lesser competition than he faced as a starter in the past, and ends up cashing in as a free agent.
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LB Craig Robertson: Robertson leads the teams in special teams snaps played (49), and his lengthy NFL experience makes him a great asset in the locker room. He’s appeared in 127 games over nine years, but still brings a ton of energy to practice each day.
CB Justin Hardee: Hardee has played 48 snaps in the kicking game, and he figures to be a natural successor to Robertson as a leader on special teams in the future. He’s converted from wide receiver to cornerback with the Saints, but hasn’t gotten any looks on defense yet in a game.
SS J.T. Gray (restricted): A second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl gunner, Gray should be easy to retain as the Saints’ only restricted free agent. He ranks third on the team in special teams snaps played (39).
QB Jameis Winston: Winston hasn’t done anything besides make awkwardly funny faces on the sidelines during games, but he isn’t here to play right away. Right now he’s focused on picking up the playbook to compete with Taysom Hill for the starting job next year.
SS D.J. Swearinger: Swearinger filled in for P.J. Williams as the dime back in Week 1, and played well after an early long completion allowed into his coverage (against Bucs slot receiver Chris Godwin, one of the better pass-catchers in the game. That’s called a mismatch). He’s another experienced veteran worth keeping around.
FB Michael Burton: Burton is a good blocker out of an I-formation, but there may not be many more opportunities for him beyond that in the offense. He doesn’t share the pass-catching ability of his predecessors like Zach Line and John Kuhn. And the Saints had more success running out of single-back lineups in Week 2 (when Burton saw just two snaps) than from heavier alignments in Week 1 (when he played 17 snaps).
RB Ty Montgomery: He hasn’t picked up where he left off as this year’s training camp hype beast, but Montgomery has caught 2 of 3 passes sent his way to gain 25 yards (while also getting dropped for a 4-yard loss on his lone rushing attempt). The Saints do like his versatility but he hasn’t yet had the breakout they may have hoped for.
RB Dwayne Washington: We haven’t gotten a look at Washington in 2020 after he was sidelined for 18 days on the league’s COVID-19 reserve list, but that could change once he’s back up to speed. He was a key special teams player for the Saints last season, playing the third-most snaps behind Hardee and Robertson.
LB Kiko Alonso: Another ACL injury (Alonso’s third) in the 2019 playoffs kept him out of training camp, and he’s still on the PUP list. Depending on his recovery timeline, we may not see Alonso again this year. And even if he does make a full recovery, he could end up being ranked third at best on the depth chart.
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