The New Orleans Saints will need to stretch their limited money a long ways this offseason, which means they will likely be bargain hunting in free agency.
Anthony Palacios of Last Word on Sports recently listed the Saints as one of the top five landing spots for ex-New England Patriots linebacker Sione Takitaki. Takitaki makes sense as an option given that he will be cheap, but isn’t necessarily a needle-mover on defensive side of the ball.
The 29-year-old was a third round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns back in 2019. He spent his first five seasons there before signing a two-year deal with the Patriots last offseason. That contract obviously did not reach it’s full length.
When he is on the field, he is a solid defender. His biggest issue, though, may just be getting on the field. He has yet to play a full season in the NFL and was a rotational linebacker for New England.
So far in his six-year career, he has 289 tackles with 14 for a loss with four sacks and two interceptions. Not exactly earth-shattering numbers, but again could be solid for a cheap depth piece.
It is unlikely that Takitaki ends up in the longterm plans of this New Orleans defense, but has shown flashes as a multi-use linebacker in the short term.
Opting to draft someone at that position could be more enticing for the Saints as they could keep them for longer and that player would have a chance to eventually take over for Demario Davis or even Pete Werner.
If Takitaki is okay with a minimum contract and backup role, New Orleans should roll the dice on him. If he wants anything extra, it is not worth their time.