Canal Street Chronicles
Some roster work needs to be done.
Going into the 2025 NFL Draft with nine selections, the New Orleans Saints had many chances to address positions of need throughout the roster. They did this, but not at the expense of reaching too much, which is always a good way to select prospects. Still, some positions that were selected, such as linebacker, defensive tackle, and safety, were not immediate needs for the 2025 season. These positions will become issues in the future, so it is good that the Saints have addressed them, but other positions were not dealt with in the draft or need more work. Also, now that the draft is complete, the Saints can sign free agents without worrying about affecting future compensatory selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. There are some great players still available, and if New Orleans wants to put their rookie QB in a situation to succeed, they may need to sign some of these free agents.
One of the positions the Saints did not address in the NFL Draft was wide receiver. With Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks as the main receivers on the roster, New Orleans has a decent group going into training camp. Still, they are missing that contested catch/big, bodied receiving threat that is needed in that group. One name comes to mind when looking at available free agents: Keenan Allen.
Last year with the Chicago Bears, Allen was rookie Caleb Williams favorite target and acted as that security blanket for the young QB. Allen has an ability to elevate the play of a QB, which is not something many wide receivers in the league can do. He also compliments the Saints’ current wider receiver room really well. The main issue with this signing is that someone in the original group of Olave, Shaheed, and Cooks will have to take a bit of a step back.
Allen is still a borderline WR 1 in this league, and if he signs for a team, he is going to want that type of production in the offense. This is something he dealt with in Chicago last year with their being a bit too many receivers in the offense. I would expect Shaheed to be the one to take this step back, but in the end, that may actually be best for the best. Shaheed is a deep threat/speedy receiver that could change the game on one play and utilizing him situationally would bring more flexibility to this offense. This would then create a wide receiver room with Chris Olave primarily on the outside, Keenan Allen and Brandin Cooks playing both outside and, in the slot, and Rashid Shaheed being utilized anywhere. Also, with injuries, all four players will probably get significant playing time throughout the season.
Arguably the top position the Saints needed to address in the NFL Draft was OLB/EDGE, and they waited until the 7th round to do this. Although I...
