Going into the draft without one could be too risky.
The New Orleans Saints have made some great moves this offseason, and the front office clearly has playoff hopes with this team. If more work is not done, the moves made so far might be for nothing. There are still some glaring holes on the roster, specifically at left guard, cornerback, and wide receiver. The Saints have a lot of talent at WR, and they were able to address corner a bit with the signing of Isaac Yiadom. The one position remaining is LG, and although there is a talented group of guard prospects in the draft, not signing one before is pretty risky.
Instead of starting with potential signings the Saints could go with, let us look at how we got here. Going into the 2024 season, Nick Saldiveri was believed to be the starter at left guard, but after a series of injuries going into Week 1, Lucas Patrick took over the spot. Patrick was signed for $1.2 million by the Saints, and early on in the season, he outplayed that contract number. As many know, issues with the offensive line arose when center Erik McCoy became injured. Patrick had to take over in different positions and then dealt with his own series of injuries. There was a revolving door at left guard, and that uncertainty hurt any chance the Saints had in games. Now, Patrick is slated for a larger contract in free agency, and New Orleans is left with a massive hole at left guard.
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As I mentioned, the Saints have playoff aspirations for the team, but their actions must continue to show it. Signing Justin Reid, trading for Davon Godchaux, and re-signing essential players is a great start. However, going into the 2025 season without free agent investment at left guard is a big risk, in my opinion. Relying on a potential guard prospect to be a starter right away could be a step back from all the work the Saints have done so far. So, what next? New Orleans could use the cap space they have already opened up and sign one of the great starting guards still available.
When looking at the current pool of free agents, two players jump out to me as options for the Saints: Will Hernandez and Tevin Jenkins. Starting with Hernandez, he has been with the Arizona Cardinals since 2022. In each of those seasons, Hernandez has been one of the most solid starting guards in the league. The main issue is the ACL injury he suffered last season, which has sidelined him since Week 5. If the Saints have no worries about this injury, a deal with Hernandez looks like 2-3 years, around $4 million annually. Tevin Jenkins is the other option for the Saints, and he is one of the best remaining free agents available. With the Chicago Bears, Jenkins was drafted as their starting tackle in 2021, but after struggling there, the Bears moved him to guard. Since then, Jenkins has been exceptional, but injuries have made his availability on game days a worry. He is only 27, and If the Saints can feel good about the injuries not being an issue, a 3-year, $10 million could get Jenkins to New Orleans
I think that the Saints should select a guard in this year’s NFL Draft but doing it without a starter in front of that player is going in the wrong direction. The options are out there, but the investment needs to be made.