New Orleans Saints: Obvious why they wanted Dez Bryant

The New Orleans Saints struggled to move the ball downfield against the Carolina Panthers, which highlights why they wanted the now-injured Dez Bryant

Before the season began, Dez Bryant was cut by the Dallas Cowboys. With all the big contracts in free agency dished out, Bryant waited for the right fit — and that didn’t come until Nov. 7 when he signed with the New Orleans Saints. Already one of the best teams in the NFC, the Saints offered Dez a shot at a long playoff run, but he offered them something as well. A great option outside, as well as in the red zone.

Unfortunately, no one ever got to see work with Drew Brees and fellow wideout Michael Thomas as he tore his Achilles just two days after signing with the team. It was an unceremonious end that no one wanted to see happen.

Now fast forward to Week 16 and the Saints may be missing Bryant, even though they technically never really had him. Coming off a 12-9 win over the Carolina Panthers showed that the Saints do still have a weakness. Outside of Thomas, their receivers aren’t consistently getting the job done. And that’s having an effect on Brees and the offense.

For instance, in their latest game, Brees had just 203 yards passing on 35 attempts — with no touchdowns. Thomas couldn’t get much separation either as he was good for 49 yards on seven receptions.

Having a legitimate threat like Bryant, whether he’s lost a step or not, could have been the shot in the arm the Saints needed. While we may never see him play for the team, we understand exactly why they made the move they did.

New Orleans would have liked to find another player in the mold of Bryant, and they tried with Brandon Marshall after losing their first choice to injury. That one never worked as Marshall was cut before making it to the field.

Bryant may not have been the same player he was in his prime, but he was still a monster in the red zone and had to be accounted for at all times. This would have made a big difference in the Saints ability to move the ball on offense.