What were the best and worst offseason moves by Saints?

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What were the best and worst offseason moves by Saints?

Mickey Loomis: Saints will go as far as Tyler Shough can take us

Arye Pulli, Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Wed, Jun 10, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The New Orleans Saints were aggressive this offseason as they continued reshaping their roster around soon-to-be second-year quarterback Tyler Shough . After showing promise during the second half of the 2025 season, Shough gave general manager Mickey Loomis and the Saints' front office enough confidence to build around him rather than to reopen the quarterback competition like it did last offseason. It's easy to see that approach when reflecting upon several of the team's biggest offseason moves.

The Saints saw one of their veteran leaders, DeMario Davis , leave to play for the New York Jets , but did their best to fill that void by bringing back veteran linebacker Kaden Elliss . New Orleans made two big splash signings on the first day of free agency by signing running back Travis Etienne Jr. and offensive lineman David Edwards . They also have several players with history in New Orleans, Cameron Jordan and Taysom Hill , who appear both unlikely to return for another season. In what should be considered a pivot offseason for the Saints, the future appears bright with several impactful additions.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently broke down the best and worst moves that the Saints made this offseason. For the Saints, the most impactful move was the way they "stocked the cupboard" for Shough once again as he enters Year 2:

Instead, the Saints plowed forward and made significant upgrades. First-round pick Jordyn Tyson's stock rose throughout the draft process, and although there are injury concerns about the Arizona State prospect, there were observers who saw Tyson as the best wideout in this class. The Saints added inline tight end Oscar Delp on Day 2 and small-school athletic phenom Bryce Lance at wide receiver in the fourth round. With Noah Fant also signing a two-year deal for $8.8 million, coach Kellen Moore has the flexibility to go to 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs, 2 WRs) or even 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR) groupings this coming season if so inclined.

I wrote about Travis Etienne Jr. and why I'm not sure the Jaguars are really worse off without the former first-round pick on the AFC side of things, but his four-year, $48 million deal makes more sense for the Saints than it did for the Jaguars. It's easier to stomach paying a league-average back $24 million over the next two years when your quarterback is making just over $3.1 million over that same span, as Shough will in New Orleans. Trevor Lawrence is set to make $79 million over those same two seasons.

While the offseason was overwhelmingly positive for the Saints, there were still aspects of their strategy that could've been improved. For example, David Edwards gives the Saints a strong option at guard, but Barnwell pointed out that New Orleans had to guarantee a portion of the third year of his deal, which isn't common for an aging player.

I would have liked to see them go for players who offered more upside or have their best years ahead of them. Instead, a win-soon team made win-now decisions. David Edwards is a borderline Pro Bowl-caliber guard, but to get the Bills lineman, the Saints had to guarantee part of his third contract year at signing -- a perk no other player in free agency landed. That's something we typically see only for truly elite players at premium positions.

Edwards is 29, but there's nothing wrong with adding a very good player to help build around Shough. But did the Saints really need to shell out for a back who hasn't been much better than league average in Etienne, even given his local ties? Kaden Elliss is an underrated player and a valuable blitzer, but the returning former Saints draftee turns 31 in July. He's younger than Davis, but is this a team that really needed to pay a premium for a solid linebacker?

None of these moves is awful in a vacuum, and I don't dislike the players involved, but I'm just not positive they're the right moves for this particular team this far away from contention. In an ideal world, the Saints would be using their draft picks to land running backs, guards and linebackers who project to get better in the years to come while rolling over some of their money to future seasons.

Time will tell if Barnwell's criticisms are warranted. If the Saints have found something in Shough and these upgrades are enough to get them back to the playoffs? Maybe they take advantage of their weak strength of schedule and prove those doubters wrong.