Mock Offseason: Free agency preview, targets during Saints' bye week

It's safe to say the 2026 season hasn't given New Orleans Saints fans what they were looking for. This time last year, their team was 1-7 and changing the starting quarterback. Now they're 2-5 and the worry is that Tyler Shough's potential could be squandered by an out-of-their-depth coaching staff and underwhelming supporting cast. Calls for jobs have picked up. Seeing head coach Kellen Moore lose games and answer questions at press conferences in the same ways each week has grown exhausting. Watching general manager Mickey Loomis coast off of moves he made twenty years ago has become mindboggling.

But it doesn't look like either the coach or the GM will be moving on any time soon. If that's the case, how can the Saints get better? There's not

much to do about it during the bye week, so we're looking ahead to 2027. Here's your midseason "mock offseason" previewing the pending Saints free agents, salary cap decisions, and possible veteran targets before the 2027 NFL Draft. And then we've got a six-round mock draft using all of the team's current picks. Let's dive in.

In-house bookkeeping, contract restructures

Some decisions are easy. The Saints set themselves up to restructure their contracts with cornerstone players and save immediate salary cap space. We've already gone over how a Chase Young extension could open up more cap space in 2027, which you can read here, but that's just one step in getting us to $80 million in spending room. We used Over The Cap's salary cap calculator tool for reference material and building contracts.

• Extend Chase Young's contract, save $10.3 million
• Restructure Bryan Bresee's contract, save $10.19 million
• Restructure Chris Olave's contract, save $9.28 million
• Restructure Erik McCoy's contract, save $7.99 million
• Restructure Travis Etienne Jr.'s contract, save $5.82 million
• Restructure David Edwards' contract, save $4.9 million
• Restructure Kaden Elliss' contract, save $4.17 million

There are other levers we chose not to pull; struggling veterans like right guard Cesar Ruiz ($9.5 million base salary, potential for $5.49 million in savings), tight end Juwan Johnson ($7.5 million base salary, $6.59 million in restructure potential), safety Justin Reid ($9.25 million base, $6.32 million in potential savings), and linebacker Pete Werner ($6.5 million base, $3.93 million in potential savings) are all candidates, among others. Edge rusher Carl Granderson will be a free agent after the 2027 season and something will need to be done about his $20.9 million cap hit. But we've created enough spending room as it is and it's worth keeping all options on the table with those guys.

Re-sign pending 2027 free agents

No need to go over the finer details right now, but we're saying goodbye to Cameron Jordan ($4.92 million in dead money), Alvin Kamara ($12.02 million in dead money, already accounted for), and Davon Godchaux ($6.03 million in dead money). Nathan Shepherd still has a big role when healthy even if his performance has trailed off, so expect him back on a modest extension (we're projecting a cap hit of $4.95 million). Our other priorities to re-sign and their estimated cap hits are:

• CB Martin Emerson Jr. ($4.01 million cap hit). Credit where it's due -- Emerson has shined. He's only played about a third of their snaps but he's outplayed both Quincy Riley and Kool-Aid McKinstry in Brandon Staley's zone-heavy defense. Invest in him and see if he can take the next step.
• DL Colby Wooden ($1.76 million cap hit). Wooden has quietly climbed the depth chart and is playing a ton of snaps on the interior. He's worth holding onto especially once Bresee returns from his injury to at least compete for a roster spot.
• S Julian Blackmon ($1.34 million cap hit). He's probably a replacement-level starter, but you could do a lot worse than bring Blackmon back. He's tied for the team lead in interceptions and can handle a variety of assignments. You just don't want him playing too often and getting exposed in bad spots. Look for an upgrade, but don't write him off right away.
• EDGE Anfernee Jennings ($1.34 million cap hit). Just look at how badly the run defense fell off without Jennings. He should stick around and compete for the fourth spot in the rotation out on the edge behind Young, Granderson, and a starting-caliber player to be named later.
• OT Asim Richards ($1.26 million cap hit). He's been set up to fail on too many one-on-one blocking assignments but he's a good backup who can step in for a drive at either tackle spot. Richards also shouldn't be starting, and we still need more depth.

Any of these guys could leave and maybe bring back a comp pick, but don't expect them to break the bank. After these extensions and re-signings we're still sitting with more than $73.24 million in cap space. Now let's look into free agency.

2027 free agency targets, contracts

We obviously need more juice on defense. There's too many replacement-level starters here at linebacker (Pete Werner), safety (Justin Reid and Julian Blackmon), and on the defensive line (Nathan Shepherd, Davon Godchaux, and their backups). That's not say there isn't something to work with. Kaden Elliss brings real playmaking ability at the second level, Chase Young and Carl Granderson are two parts of a good three-man rotation, and Jonas Sanker has earned a prominent role. There are just obvious holes to address on the interior and off the edge, and in the secondary. Let's get to work.

• DL Moro Ojomo (four years, $104 million with $44 million guaranteed). The Philadelphia Eagles probably won't be able to keep Ojomo after extending so many other talented defensive linemen. The 25-year old is a big-time pressure player with nearly as many combined sacks, hits, and hurries through seven games (16) as the Saints' top interior linemen put together. He'll start and be looked to as a tone-setter up front. We don't know how Bryan Bresee is going to look coming off of ACL surgery and, outside of Vernon Broughton, everyone else on the depth chart will have to compete for snaps. Ojomo's first-year salary cap hit is $11 million.
• EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu (four years, $72 million with $40 million guaranteed). Brandon Staley drafted Tuipulotu on the Los Angeles Chargers, and the 24-year old has developed into a top-25 edge defender with 28 sacks and 41 tackles for loss in 56 games. He'll bring much-needed pressure and run-stuffing ability opposite Chase Young and provide a bridge if the Saints don't plan on re-signing Carl Granderson (who turns 30 in December and will be a free agent in 2028) again. Think of him as the Cameron Jordan replacement in the rotation. Tuipulotu's first-year salary cap hit is $9 million.
• DL Tommy Togiai (three years, $58.5 million with $34 million guaranteed). The Houston Texans wrote themselves into a corner; they're over the 2027 salary cap projections by as much as $41.5 million, and they haven't even paid CJ Stroud yet. Good players like Togiai are going to fall through the cracks because of it. The 27-year old is equally effective against the run and the pass, and he'll play starter's reps right away. We may have a lot of bodies stacked up on the defensive line, but guys on minimum contracts will just have to earn their reps. Bresee will be in a contract year but there's room for him if he returns to form. Togiai's first-year salary cap hit is $8.33 million.
• S Antonio Johnson (three years, $40 million with $25.75 million guaranteed). Expect the Jacksonville Jaguars to make a strong effort at re-signing Johnson, but they're $15 million over next year's salary cap and could let him go. The 25-year old has earned starter's reps the hard way as a former fifth-round pick, breaking out last year with five interceptions and nine passes defensed. Johnson doesn't miss tackles (just 12 of them in 53 games) and does an outstanding job stopping the run. He can push Julian Blackmon out of the starting lineup and team up with Jonas Sanker as the new faces of the secondary. Johnson's first-year salary cap hit is $5.5 million.

What about the offense? There's room for improvement at almost every position group. The run game is a mess but the resources poured into the offensive line, backfield, and tight ends suggest that's on coaching. You don't want to put too much money at wide receiver with Jordyn Tyson being an unknown quantity and Devaughn Vele entering a contract year. You hope Oscar Delp can develop into a great blocking tight end but he isn't there yet. Simply signing a veteran right guard to replace Cesar Ruiz doesn't look so simple after the David Edwards pickup returned middling results. You could definitely make the case for a running back, and we will, but the $12 million earmarked as dead money for Alvin Kamara makes it tough to justify investing too much after Travis Etienne Jr. also got paid this past offseason. That's a position where you'd like to hit on a draft pick (more on that later).

• RB Emanuel Wilson (two years for $13 million, $9 million guaranteed). The 27-year old has been a workhorse for the Seattle Seahawks while they wait for Zach Charbonnet to recover from a torn ACL he suffered back in January's playoffs. Wilson had some issues with ball security (two fumbles across back-to-back games) and he isn't known for his blocking, but he could be an effective change-of-pace back with Travis Etienne Jr. Wilson is tied for the tenth in missed tackles forced (21), with seven rushes of 10 or more yards. That's more than both Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne Jr. put together. Kamara and Kendre Miller are free agents in 2027. Wilson's first-year cap hit is $7.75 million.
• TE Charlie Woerner (three years for $12 million, $5.5 million guaranteed). The Atlanta Falcons will have a ton of salary cap space to work with next offseason (more than $124 million of it), so they can keep Woerner if they really want to. The Saints should still try to find a proven blocker who can help get the run game on schedule. Maybe an overpay is enough to get the 29-year old to go turncoat. The Saints have snaps to go around with Treyton Welch getting into games even when Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant are both healthy. Ideally, Woerner can show Oscar Delp a thing or two to speed up his development. Woerner's first-year cap hit is $3.66 million.
• OL Jarrett Patterson (one year for $2 million, $1.5 million guaranteed). Patterson started games at both left guard and center in three years with the Houston Texans before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a seventh-round draft pick. He's had some success in the same zone-blocking scheme the Saints want to run but have struggled with. He would be the seventh offensive lineman on gamedays, a role currently filled by William Sherman, but he could also compete with Jeremiah Wright at right guard if the Saints move on from Cesar Ruiz. His cap hit is $2 million.

With all of those signings, re-signings, and other salary cap moves, we've got the Saints with $25 million in 2027 salary cap space. And remember, there are plenty of other levers we can pull to open up more room or clear money in future years. It's an ambitious start to the offseason but

Now that all of our table-setting is out of the way, let's go into the draft. Here's a snapshot of the top team needs we're working to address, but we'll be keeping an eye out for the best talent available. This team still needs help at too many positions to overlook someone because of positional value or what we've already invested. Here are our priorities:

1. Linebacker
2. Edge rusher
3. Cornerback
4. Running back
5. Offensive line (tackle and interior)

This time we'll be using NFL Stock Exchange's 2027 NFL Mock Draft Simulator.

Round 1, Pick 11: CB Ashton Hampton, Clemson

We were hoping for a good edge rusher to fall to us, but the best prospects available were Georgia stars Chris Cole (a linebacker) and KJ Bolden (a safety), as well as Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton. Cole is rising up draft boards quickly but we weren't ready to stamp him with the eleventh overall pick. Hampton has had a better year than Bolden and we did already sign a new starting safety in Antonio Johnson, so corner it was. Hampton has forced an incompletion on 11 of the 31 passes thrown into his coverage and would immediately upgrade the New Orleans secondary. Picture him starting at one spot with Kool-Aid McKinstry and Martin Emerson Jr. battling on the other side while Quincy Riley gets into games off the bench.

Round 2, Pick 42: OL Lance Heard, Kentucky

The best prospects available here were quarterbacks (Missouri's Austin Simmons and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers), followed by Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain and Kentucky left tackle Lance Heard. Louisville edge defender Clev Lubin was also on the board but ranked behind those other guys. We considered McClain as a Justin Reid replacement but agreed the offensive line should be a higher priority. Heard has been one of the season's biggest risers and could start at right tackle. Taliese Fuaga has regressed year over year at that spot so we're moving him to right guard, where a lot of evaluators thought he'd be at his best coming out of college. Cesar Ruiz will get moved during or after the draft, at least if we're calling the shots.

Round 3, Pick 73: LB Tony Rojas, Penn State

Back to defense. Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas was the highest-rated defender on the board but we were tempted to pick an edge rusher like Kenyatta Jackson (Ohio State) or Tyree Weathersby (Tennessee). Having invested a big contract in Tuli Tuipulotu and not yet added help at linebacker, we went with Rojas. He's an ideal Kaden Elliss understudy as an effective pass rusher on blitzes (30 pressures and eight sacks on just 108 attempts) who can make plays in coverage (six career interceptions). The clock is ticking on Pete Werner's role in the starting lineup. Hopefully we won't regret passing on another edge rusher.

Round 4, Pick 109: RB Jamal Roberts, Missouri

There were too many running backs available to not take one here (and the lack of standouts at other position groups helped that argument). With Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller both leaving in free agency, our depth chart was looking awful thin even after signing Emanuel Wilson. Between Jamal Roberts (Missouri), J'Koby Williams (Texas Tech), and Mark Fletcher Jr. (Miami), we felt Roberts had the best combination of big-play ability, NFL size, and tread left on his tires. Williams is a great receiving threat but he'll have a tough time running between the tackles and blocking in pass protection at 185 pounds. Fletcher is already up to 514 carries in college. Roberts has been a workhorse for Mizzou but he consistently forces missed tackles and makes big gains on the ground. He's the pick.

Round 5, Pick 143: WR Emmett Mosley V, Texas

There were a ton of quarterbacks available her -- UCLA's Nico Iamaleava, LSU's Sam Leavitt, Louisville's Lincoln Kienholz and Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby -- and that would be an option if Spencer Rattler gets moved in a contract year, but we decided to take a flier on Mosley. He's been quietly effective on limited targets behind a couple of future first-round picks in the Longhorns offense. He stands out physically at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, so we'll see if he can carve out a role for himself. These late-round picks are effectively lottery scratchoffs, especially in the NIL/transfer portal era.

Round 6, DL Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas

Jeremy lobbied hard for a kicker here, and we really should have added one at some point, but he changed his tune after getting a look at the prospects available. Instead, we opted to look for a player to develop in the front seven. That brought us to Colorado edge rusher Toby Anene, who has 6.5 tackles for loss in seven games after transferring from North Dakota State, and Quincy Rhodes Jr., an Arkansas defensive lineman who broke out last year with 15.5 tackles and eight sacks. Rhodes has kept it going with more disruptive plays this season (5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in seven games). He's listed at 6-foot-6 and 273 pounds and could line up in a couple of different places up front. He's got time to develop after our free agency investments.

Recapping the mock offseason

A lot of fans aren't going to be happy if the Saints retain head coach Kellen Moore and general manager Mickey Loomis, plus all of their support staff, but we've tried to improve this team with the assumption that everyone on the coaching staff and in the front office are returning in 2027. Here's a quick summary of our moves:

• That brought us to big investments on the defensive line with Moro Ojomo and Tommy Togiai and at edge rusher with Tuli Tuipulotu. Cameron Jordan retires, and Anfernee Jennings is re-signed to compete with sixth-round pick Quincy Rhodes Jr. as the fourth edge rusher. Colby Wooden and Nathan Shepherd re-sign on modest deals but need to earn their snaps with Vernon Broughton, Bryan Bresee, Khristian Boyd and Christen Miller all returning. Ojomo and Togiai are the new faces of the interior defensive line.
• The secondary has gotten younger, faster, and more dynamic with Antonio Johnson starting at safety and Ashton Hampton anointed as a true CB1. Kool-Aid McKinstry must fend off a re-signed Martin Emerson Jr. Quincy Riley is the next man up if an injury strikes. Julian Blackmon re-signed at the minimum; Justin Reid would start next to Johnson, unless we move him, with Jonas Sanker staying at nickel and Blackmon playing in dime personnel after Jordan Howden left in free agency. We have the flexibility to move on from Pete Werner and have Tony Rojas compete with Danny Stutsman at linebacker next to Kaden Elliss, if that's a route we want to go.
• Offensively, we brought back Asim Richards as the swing tackle and signed Jarrett Patterson to replace Dillon Radunz and William Sherman as the next man up on game days (unless Jeremiah Wright holds them off). But the biggest move was drafting Lance Heard in Round 2. He starts at right tackle, Taliese Fuaga goes inside to right guard, and we'll find another team to take on Cesar Ruiz's contract. We also signed tight end Charlie Woerner to fix blocking miscues outside, taking snaps that have gone to Treyton Welch and Noah Fant.
• As for the skill positions? Emanuel Wilson was signed to replace Alvin Kamara as the RB2 behind Travis Etienne Jr., with Jamal Roberts added as a mid-round draft pick. Roberts will be the RB3 unless CJ Donaldson takes a big step forward (and he might), but either way this group is already more dynamic than what we're currently watching. Emmett Mosley V has a tough road towards making the roster, but it's worth rolling the dice on a late-round receiver with Jordyn Tyson's injury history. The Saints have had to bring receivers up from the practice squad in almost every game this season.

So what didn't we accomplish? We couldn't find a kicker worth drafting, and it's not likely a quality free agent hits the market (Jason Myers looks like a Seattle Seahawks lifer at this point). But if that's what we're struggling with after all of these moves, we've done pretty well. It may not be realistic to see the Saints spend this big in free agency -- between Chase Young's extension and the free agency moves, you're looking at more than $480 million in investments. They just spent over $321 million in 2026 between Chris Olave's extension and their free agency pickups. If they're committed to the rebuild and seeing through Kellen Moore's vision for the team, the Saints must prepare to push the envelope and improve this roster.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Mock Offseason: Free agency preview, targets during Saints' bye week