New Orleans Saints must go all-in on offense for 2018

Its fair to assume the New Orleans Saints will bring back star quarterback Drew Brees, so how does the team make one final run at a Super Bowl? They must go all-in on offense for 2018.

No matter how poor or successful a team’s season was, there are always major offseason questions on the front burner. The NFL turns over too much for even the best teams to advance a calendar year unscathed. Let’s continue the team-by-team overview with the New Orleans Saints.

New Orleans won the best division in football last season. When you utter that unimpeachable statement, it makes the Saints seem better than they felt. We were continuously waiting for the defense to fall back to earth, which it did, though the team was still one miracle play away from reaching the NFC title game. What do the Saints need to do in order to make a Super Bowl run in 2018?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the New Orleans Saints in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

The biggest issue for the Saints this offseason is the pending free agency of Drew Brees. It seems inevitable that the team brings him back though. Brees cannot be franchised because of the language in his contract. He also must be signed before March 14 because of other voiding language that would load a large cap hit onto New Orleans. That means we likely see a short deal agreed to within the next two weeks.

As ESPN covers, the options are actually pretty numerous, even if Brees and the team don’t plan on being reunited for more than one or two more years. “Hypothetically, let’s say he gets a $29 million signing bonus and a $1 million 2018 salary. The Saints could spread the signing bonus out over five years for cap purposes [with the subsequent four years voiding] and Brees could claim to be the first $30 million quarterback.”

That is bananas and seems like a rather stupid loophole in NFL contract negotiation, but whatever. The point is, Brees is going to be here, so what should New Orleans be most worried about?

With Kenny Vaccaro set to hit free agency unrestricted and Delvin Breaux restricted, the Saints, as always, must have an eye on improving the defense. They have a pretty solid secondary, even if Vaccaro departs, but more play-makers must be found up front. Defensive end is an area of need, though neither free agency nor the 27th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft offer quick fixes to that hole this year.

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This begs the question, should New Orleans continually work to fill holes on defense, perhaps to the detriment of the offense, or should it go all-in on having the best offense in the league and win that way? We just witnessed a horribly unbalanced New England team reach the Super Bowl…though it fell at the hands of a well-balanced Philadelphia squad. There are no perfect team-building strategies. All we know is that the Saints have incredible, nearly peerless talent on the offensive side of the ball (once Brees re-signs). I would be more inclined to double down on that, drafting and/or signing more pieces at wide receiver and tight end. This won’t help the pass rush, but scoring 30 points helps a defense regardless.

Dan Salem:

Filling holes to create a balanced team rarely works. Most often teams end up with two above average units and several great players buried without help. Surrounding your best player, in this case Drew Brees, with other great players to create a powerhouse unit on offense is the best play for our defending NFC South champions.

The Saints did an excellent job of drafting defense last season, so there’s little reason to believe they can’t do it again. Developing talent in-house is always best. That means New Orleans must double-down on the offense and bring in as many weapons as possible for Brees to work with. I’m looking toward a marquee wide receiver or tight end, as several are free agents this offseason. Drafting at those two positions is also a great move. Bolster your strength to become unstoppable.

Allen Robinson, Sammy Watkins, Jimmy Graham, Terrelle Pryor, and Trey Burton are just some of the receiving talent on the market. The list is very deep, but there are also a number of offensive lineman available and worth a look. Building depth on the offensive line also makes a lot of sense, if the right player is available in the draft or free agency. Protecting Brees and keeping him healthy might be the most important task of the Saints over the remainder of his career.

Next: NFL Free Agency: Player each team must re-sign

Defense wins championships, or so the saying goes. New Orleans had a great defense at times last season, but its their offense that can truly transcend in 2018. If you’re going all-in with Brees for one more shot at a Super Bowl, then he needs as many weapons as possible. Its offense all the way for the Saints.