It's another year with the New Orleans Saints not in position to be buyers at the NFL trade deadline; even if they're only a game and a half from first place in the league's weakest division, they can't justify giving up draft picks when the depth chart is so thin at so many positions. So it's looking like the Saints could be sellers instead. Other teams are already calling around looking for upgrades as they prepare for their own playoff push.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer emptied his notebook five days out from the deadline, with a couple of Saints veteran popping up. Teams looking for help at defensive tackle, like the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Giants, have checked in: "Grover Stewart’s an option, with the Saints’
Davon Godchaux and Nathan Shepherd, Patriots’ Christian Barmore and Panthers’ Bobby Brown III others who’ve come up in trade talks."
The Saints have played two of those teams this season, and they held a joint practice session with the Jaguars during the preseason. It makes sense that teams in the playoff hunt would be looking for reinforcements. But what could they get in return? New Orleans acquired Godchaux for a seventh-round draft pick just last offseason, and he's been demoted with younger players like Khristian Boyd and Christen Miller beginning to step up. If they could get back what they spent to land him in the first place, that's a win.
What about Shepherd? He's a player the coaching staff has been high on even without making many impact plays, so you'd think it would take more to wrest him away. While he and Godchaux are both free agents after the season, Shepherd is also a candidate for an extension to lower his dead money figure in 2027 (over $7.1 million) but trading him now would lock that cap hit in place. The Saints should probably ask for a fifth rounder or a player to make moving Shepherd worth their while. Moving past-their-prime guys who are probably leaving in a few months anyway could replenish the team's war chest and open up more snaps for less-experienced players. We'll see if the Saints can cut a deal by next Tuesday's deadline (3 p.m. CT on Nov. 10).
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Report: Teams check on Saints defensive linemen before trade deadline
