Titans, Eagles Talking Brandin Cooks Trade
Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks is the object of trade talks and the Titans and Eagles are two of the interested suitors, league sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Titans appear to be the more likely destination for him, one source says (Twitter link), but two other sources have conflicting opinions on the matter (link). 
[RELATED: Titans, Eagles Interested In Alshon Jeffery]
Back in December, we first heard that the Saints could explore a Cooks deal. Now, on the eve of free agency, that seems to be coming to fruition. Both the Titans and Eagles are known to be looking for wide receivers and it’s little surprise that both teams are also in the mix for Alshon Jeffery. If one of the two clubs nabs Cooks via trade, that could help facilitate a Jeffery signing for the other team.
One scenario, Mortensen writes, would be for the the Titans to send their No. 18 overall pick to New Orleans for Cooks in a one-for-one swap. Another scenario, sources say, has the Titans swapping the No. 5 overall selection with the Saints’ No. 11 pick for Cooks, perhaps with another pick or two also involved.
At one point last year, Cooks felt his role in the offense was slipping and he was rather vocal about it. Apparently, his declaration that “closed mouths don’t get fed” had some validity. When all was said and done, Cooks finished with 117 targets, just 12 less than he had in 2015.
In 2016, Cooks caught 78 passes for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns. His yards-per-reception average of 15.0 was a career high and his 66.7% catch rate was a slight step up from his 2015 showing.
Although talk of a Cooks deal has been brewing for a while, it’s a bit surprising to hear that the Saints might bail on the talented receiver. After all, he still has two years to go on his current deal at a rather affordable rate. This year, he’ll earn a base salary of $1.56MM. Then, there’s a fifth-year option on him worth about $8.5MM for 2018.
In addition to Cooks, the Saints also have Michael Thomas, Willie Snead, and Brandon Coleman on the depth chart. Thomas, a rising sophomore, could be elevated to the WR1 role, but the Saints would probably need to add another impact wide receiver if they were to trade Cooks.
Darryl Tapp Wants To Re-Sign With Saints
- Reserve defensive end Darryl Tapp made it clear Wednesday that he wants to re-sign with the Saints, relays Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. Tapp’s agent and the Saints have engaged in discussions about a new deal. The 32-year-old journeyman just finished his first season in New Orleans, where he started in two of 16 appearances.
Salary Cap Numbers For All 32 Teams
On Wednesday, we learned that the 2017 salary cap will be set at roughly $167MM. However, every team’s number will be different depending on how much money each team elects to rollover from the previous season.
Courtesy of the NFLPA, we now have the total cap numbers for all 32 clubs. Here they are, listed by division and in descending order:
AFC East
- Dolphins – $175.36MM
- Patriots – $171.29
- Bills – $169.84MM
- Jets – $167.37MM
AFC North
- Browns – $217.12MM
- Bengals – $173.58MM
- Steelers – $170.27MM
- Ravens – $169.55MM
AFC South
- Jaguars – $206.31
- Titans – $191.05MM
- Colts – $173.61MM
- Texans – $171.94MM
AFC West
- Raiders – $175MM
- Broncos – $174.24MM
- Chiefs – $172MM
- Chargers – $167.11MM
NFC East
- Redskins – $182.06MM
- Eagles – $174.93MM
- Cowboys – $169.4MM
- Giants – $168.8MM
NFC North
- Bears – $175.1MM
- Packers – $174.98MM
- Lions – $171.73MM
- Vikings – $167.4MM
NFC South
- Panthers – $180.21MM
- Saints – $172.75MM
- Buccaneers – $172.33MM
- Falcons – $167.93MM
NFC West
- 49ers – $205.71MM
- Cardinals – $171.4MM
- Seahawks – $169.07MM
- Rams – $167.3MM
Saints To Release Jairus Byrd
The Saints will release safety Jairus Byrd on the first day of the league year, March 9, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). If it doesn’t designate Byrd as a post-June 1 cut, New Orleans will save $3.2MM in 2017 by moving on from Byrd, but it’ll also be on the hook for $8MM in dead money. Should the Saints use the June designation, though, it would free up $7.8MM in space for this year.
Byrd joined the Saints as a free agent in 2014, when he inked a six-year, $56MM deal featuring $28MM in guarantees. The gamble didn’t go according to plan for the Saints, as Byrd was unable to consistently flash the star-caliber ability he often showed in Buffalo from 2009-13. Byrd made three Pro Bowls and intercepted a whopping 22 passes in 73 games during his five-year stretch with the Bills. However, he totaled just three picks in three years in New Orleans, where he appeared in 33 games and made 32 starts.
To his credit, the 30-year-old Byrd is coming off his first 16-start season since 2012. He picked up 82 tackles and two interceptions in the process, and his performance ranked a middle-of-the-pack 46th among Pro Football Focus‘ 89 qualified safeties. He’ll now head back to the open market as one of the most established safeties available in a class of free agents that could also include the likes of Tony Jefferson, Duron Harmon and Barry Church, among others.
Saints Waive Avery Young
- The Saints have waived offensive lineman Avery Young, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Young, 24, went undrafted out of Auburn in 2016, and ended up spending the entirety of his rookie campaign on the non-football injury list.
Holder: Saints Likely Willing To Pursue Ingram
- The Saints have expressed their desire to bolster their pass rush this offseason, and Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune notes that New Orleans, for the first time in a while, has money to spend in free agency. Holder adds that New Orleans would probably be willing to make a splash for a big-name pass rusher like Melvin Ingram, though if Ingram gets the franchise tag from the Chargers, or if his price becomes too rich for the Saints’ liking, Holder points to Nick Perry as a quality alternative.
Nick Fairley Could Assess Market At Combine
- Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley is expected to test the free agent market, and he could get a better sense of his value at the scouting combine next week, as Nick Underhill of the Advocate details. Technically, agents aren’t allowed to talk numbers with rival executives until the legal tampering period begins on March 7, two days before the official opening of free agency. That rule isn’t usually observed, however, meaning Fairley — who could be looking for $10MM annually — and his representatives will get the chance to assess his market.
Saints, Nick Fairley Could Be Far Apart
- Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley is likely to test free agency, and if he does, he could seek a contract worth around $10MM per year, writes Larry Holder of NOLA.com. The Saints would likely go to around around $6MM per annum for Fairley, suggests Holder. An annual average of $10MM would be a notable step up for a player who had to settle for one-year deals in each of the previous two offseasons. Fairley, 29, made $3MM last season in potentially his only year in New Orleans and totaled career highs in starts (16), tackles (43) and sacks (6.5).
Saints, Sterling Moore Have Mutual Interest
Pending free agent Sterling Moore wants to re-sign with the Saints and is certain mutual interest exists between he and New Orleans, as he told SiriusXM NFL Radio earlier today (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs — New Orleans Saints]
Moore, 27, has bounced around a bit in recent years, as he’s played for three clubs — the Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Saints — over the past three seasons. 2016 marked the first time that Moore was asked to serve as a full-time starter, however, as injuries to New Orleans’ defensive backfield forced Moore to start 12 games. Moore posted two interceptions, 13 passes defensed, and graded as the Saints’ best corner, per Pro Football Focus, which ranked Moore as the No. 65 CB league-wide.
After earning only $760K last season under the terms of a minimum salary benefit contract, Moore could be in for a raise in 2017, although he may not play such a key role on the Saints defense. Thanks to that aforementioned rash of health issues in the secondary, Delvin Breaux, Damian Swann, P.J. Williams, and Kyle Wilson (like Moore, a pending free agent) combined to play only 240 snaps last year, so if that group returns to full strength, Moore could theoretically see his snaps reduced.
Top 3 Offseason Needs: New Orleans Saints
In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the New Orleans Saints, who finished third in the NFC South after posting their third consecutive 7-9 record.
Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)
Pending Free Agents:
- Chris Banjo, S (RFA)
- Sam Barrington, LB
- Travaris Cadet, RB
- Justin Drescher, LS
- Kasim Edebali, DE (RFA)
- Jahri Evans, G
- Nick Fairley, DT
- Roman Harper, S
- Tim Hightower, RB
- Tony Hills, LT
- Shiloh Keo, S
- Paul Kruger, DE
- Tim Lelito, G
- Michael Mauti, LB
- Sterling Moore, CB
- John Phillips, TE
- Jamarca Sanford, S
- Willie Snead, WR (ERFA)
- Darryl Tapp, DE
- Jason Trusnik, LB
- B.W. Webb, CB
- Kyle Wilson, CB
Top 10 Cap Hits for 2017:
- Drew Brees, QB: $19,000,000
- Cameron Jordan, DE: $12,047,000
- Terron Armstead, LT: $11,500,000
- Jairus Byrd, S: $11,200,000
- Coby Fleener, TE: $7,500,000
- Max Unger, C: $7,400,000
- Kenny Vaccaro, S: $5,676,000
- Mark Ingram, RB: $5,345,000
- Zach Strief, T: $5,100,000
- Thomas Morstead, P: $4,700,000
Other:
- Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): $29,557,284
- 11th pick in draft
- Must exercise or decline 2018 fifth-year option for WR Brandin Cooks
Three Needs:
1. Find an edge rusher to play opposite Cameron Jordan: The Saints ranked 29th in DVOA against the pass in 2016, and much of that poor showing can be attributed to the club’s lack of pass rush. Defensive end Cameron Jordan led the team with 7.5 sacks, defensive tackle — and pending free agent — Nick Fairley was second with 6.5, and no other New Orleans defender posted more than four quarterback takedowns. Overall, the Saints finished 27th in team sacks and 28th in adjusted sack percentage.
Edge rushers Darryl Tapp and Paul Kruger are both headed for the free agent market, and while one or both could be retained, neither should be viewed as a priority one item. Instead, the Saints are likely going to look towards free agency and the draft in order to bring in new talent, especially given that New Orleans head coach Sean Payton said adding pass rush help is a “must.” Typically up against the salary cap, the Saints have nearly $30MM with which to work this offseason, and could clear more room by cutting ties with veterans such as Jairus Byrd and Thomas Morstead.
Given that the Cardinals’ Chandler Jones and the Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul seem increasingly likely to be franchised by their respective clubs, the top edge defender on the market could be Melvin Ingram, who’s managed 18.5 sacks over the past two seasons with the Chargers. Ingram, 27, is also a candidate for the tag, but it’s unclear if a rebuilding Los Angeles team is willing to tie up ~$15MM in cap space on a single player. If he does reach the open market, Ingram should be the number one target for the Saints, who should have some familiarity with him given that former Chargers linebackers coach Mike Nolan now holds the same role in New Orleans.
Outside of the top few options, the free agent defensive end class is relatively barren, and the Saints could be forced to go bargain hunting. Datone Jones is still only 26 years old and has never seemed to fit in the Packers’ 3-4 look, but he could look to restart his career as an end in New Orleans’ 4-3 scheme. Ryan Davis posted 10 sacks for the Jaguars in 2014-15, and though his performance stalled last year, a move back to end could help. Veterans such as Julius Peppers and Dwight Freeney could be targets on one-year deals, while Elvis Dumervil could also intrigue the Saints if he’s released by Baltimore.
If the Saints don’t find what they’re looking for in free agency, the trade market might offer at least one interesting solution in the form of Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. Although New Orleans wasn’t among the list of teams that reportedly inquired on Richardson last year, the 26-year-old could be a nice fit as a defensive end under coordinator Dennis Allen. A player-for-player trade might even make sense — former first-round pick Stephone Anthony has apparently fallen out of favor with the Saints, and it’s possible New York would have interest in resurrecting his young career.
When April rolls around, New Orleans will have yet another opportunity to add edge players when the draft begins. The Saints hold the 11th overall selection, and figure to target a pass rusher with that pick. ESPN draftniks Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both see New Orleans drafting a defensive end, as Kiper recently mocked Michigan’s Taco Charlton to the Saints while McShay thinks Stanford’s Solomon Thomas will head east. Myles Garrett (Texas A&M) and Jonathan Allen (Alabama) won’t be available when the Saints’ turn comes up, but Derek Barnett (Tennessee), Charles Harris (Oklahoma), and Carl Lawson (Auburn) could be in consideration.
