New Orleans Saints: Ranking the team’s top 2018 offseason additions

3. Kurt Coleman, FS (from Carolina Panthers)

Once again, the New Orleans Saints have opted to take from a division rival to boost their own roster. We saw it a few times last offseason as the club added wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and linebacker A.J. Klein during free agency. The former finished with fourth on the team with 53 receptions, good for 787 yards and four scores, and was the team’s primary threat on punt returns. Meanwhile, Klein played and started a dozen games. He finished with 54 tackles, two sacks, four passes defensed and a forced fumble.

So, Sean Payton’s club is hoping that another member of Ron Rivera’s club proves to be a worthwhile addition. The offseason, the Panthers did a little housecleaning and released veterans such as defensive end Charles Johnson, running back Jonathan Stewart and safety Kurt Coleman.

The latter didn’t wind up on the open market very long and latched on with the reigning NFC South champions. Coleman finished 2017 tied for third on the club with 76 tackles. But he failed to pick off a pass. In his first two seasons with Carolina, the eight-year pro combined to total 11 interceptions.

Adding Coleman to a secondary that isn’t bringing back safety Kenny Vaccaro makes plenty of sense. He adds experienced depth behind starter Marcus Williams and takes the sting out of losing veteran Rafael Bush to the Buffalo Bills.

Next: No. 2