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By Michael Hanich | LWOS

Of all the teams in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints are undergoing severe offensive changes, especially with their receivers. The retirement of quarterback Drew Brees would hit the franchise hard, no matter how little he had left in the tank. The Saints didn’t bring back their leading receiver in Emmanuel Sanders or top tight end in Jared Cook. Their star receiver Michael Thomas only played in seven games this past season due to nagging injuries. There will almost no doubt that Thomas will get back to his elite level of productivity in 2021. Even with an All-Pro caliber performance from Thomas, New Orleans will need more help from the Saints passing game from other receivers and tight ends.

New Orleans Saints Need Wide Receivers and Tight Tends to Step Up​

Tre’Quan Smith – Wide Receiver​

Since being drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Saints have expected Tre’QyN Smith to step up as the number two deep threat receiver. While he has made strides this past season by playing in 14 games and ten starts, Smith has not asserted himself as a key playmaker for the offense. In three seasons, Smith has caught 80 receptions on 119 targets for 1,109 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has never accumulated more than 448 yards and five touchdowns in a single. With a new quarterback starting under center, the Saints could use a breakout year from Smith in the upcoming 2021 season. Smith is also playing in the last year of his rookie contract. A breakout season would give him a solid new deal for the foreseeable future with New Orleans

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By Leigh Oleszczak | WhoDatDish

The New Orleans Saints couldn’t retain Trey Hendrickson this offseason, as the former third-round pick bolted for Cincinnati. Hendrickson had 13.5 sacks last year and the Saints lost one of their most ferocious defensive weapons with his departure.

Now it’s no secret that the Saints don’t have a ton of money or draft picks to play around with this offseason but if they’re serious about contending this year, their pass rush is going to need a boost — Derek Barnett would provide that boost.

Barnett, who the Eagles took No. 14 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, has been consistently reliable in the pass-rushing department. Chris Roling of Bleacher Report said the Saints need to make an attempt to trade for Barnett and said they should offer Philadelphia a third-round pick in next year’s draft in order to make it happen.

Roling noted the Saints need to find a veteran pass-rushing option and Barnett could be that guy. He also had this to say:

He’s only going into his age-25 season but has 19.5 sacks over four seasons, so the Saints could buy-in on the idea he’ll blossom further next to names like Cameron Jordan.
Granted, the Saints used a first-round pick on pass-rushing help with Payton Turner. But hedging the rookie bet with a low-cost, high-upside move isn’t the worst idea for a team that wants to keep contending.

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