New Orleans Saints: Pros and cons of Kurt Coleman signing
The New Orleans Saints are wasting no time in replacing Kenny Vaccaro as they’ve signed Kurt Coleman. What are the pros and cons of the move?
The New Orleans Saints certainly proved themselves contenders in 2017. Both sides of the ball were great, but the defense improved the most. Their defensive unit was one of the best in the league and a lot of the credit goes to great drafting and utilizing certain players. One of the most noteworthy was Kenny Vaccaro.
Despite Vaccaro’s contributions, he believes his time in New Orleans is up. Maybe he believes he’s undervalued or can be paid better somewhere else. At first, it was unclear what the Saints were going to do. Fortunately, the team has been planning ahead.
The Saints signed former Carolina Panther, Kurt Coleman to replace Vaccaro. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints signed him to a three-year deal. Coleman started his career in Philadelphia before going to the Panthers. He was released by the Panthers and then signed by the Saints on March 3.
Signing Coleman was a huge risk but could yield a huge reward too. First, let’s look at the risk the Saints are taking. The biggest risk for Coleman is his age compared to Vaccaro. Vaccaro is only 27 and is still playing at a high level. As for Coleman, he’ll be 30 before the season starts and had a dip in production in 2017.
Looking at Coleman’s stats in 2017, he looks like a shell of his former self. He finished the season with 76 combined tackles, zero sacks and zero interceptions. During his last two seasons with the Panthers, Coleman finished with almost 200 tackles, two sacks and 11 interceptions, so 2017 was a down year.
The other risk for Coleman is his inexperience with the Saints. Even though he’s considered a veteran, he’ll have to learn an entirely new playbook. There’s also a chance he won’t mesh with the rest of the players especially if he doesn’t play at as high of a level.
Even though there are multiple risks, there’s a huge chance for a reward too. Coleman does bring that extra experience. The Saints have a relatively young defensive team with a few key veterans and adding more experience is key. Bringing Coleman in adds another mentor to help shape the young players and guide them.
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Despite his dip in production, a change of scenery is always good. Getting the chance to shine and fit into a new team will hopefully rejuvenate Coleman. He might not be as good as Vaccaro but will be a suitable replacement for now. Obviously, it will take a little time to adjust but Coleman seems like an okay fit for the Saints.
We can’t truly judge Coleman until he hits the field, though. Personally, I think he’ll be a good juxtaposition between Marcus Williams and Vonn Bell. Either way, it’s good to see the Saints making moves and trying to fill the shoes of Kenny Vaccaro so soon.