Saints signed QB Nathan Peterman

A few thoughts:

1. Saints like Haener. He’ll be given every chance to compete to be the backup.

2. The signing of Peterman is both insurance and an indicator of the team’s thinking relative to the draft (see #3). Of course, Peterson doesn’t move the needle. But he’s a guaranteed third arm in a dwindling backup QB market. And given that the team is in a soft rebuild with limited resources, he doesn’t cost much of anything.

Jimmy G would likely command $8-12 million as a backup. The moment you sign him he’s your backup and it becomes difficult to move off the commitment to him should the team get their guy in the draft or Haener shows and proves.

3. Peterman’s signing keeps alive the possibility that the team might draft a QB assuming the right guy is available or in striking distance for a potential trade up. Let’s say, for example, the team eyed McCarthy (not saying, just saying) and took him. You can easily move away from Peterson. At the same time his familiarity with AJ allows him the chance to play mini-QB coach in QB room all spring and summer, which would be critical for a potential rookie QB and Haener and to some degree Carr as well.

Thing is, the team cannot be premature but has to be anticipatory. We all remember the signing of Adrian Peterson followed by the drafting of Alvin Kamara. AK eventually made AP expendable. We hadn’t made the biggest investment in Adrian but it was enough that you almost wish you had known Alvin would be there for the taking.

Now I know the team likes to fill holes in FA to allow them to draft the BPA. But loading up at the edge or corner is far different from doing so at QB. You sign Jimmy and suddenly a guy you like is there in the draft and now you are almost compelled to pass him or ship away your 4th round investment from the previous year who you also traded up to land. So, here you sign a guy who is cheap and can provide a camp arm, wait to see what happens in the draft, and then act accordingly after the draft.

4. That brings me to the fourth and final point. Let’s assume the draft comes and the team didn’t select a QB. Well, now they could still add another vet QB to compete for the backup role and at that point any financial investment doesn’t impact you in the same way it would if you added the same guy pre-draft and then had your QB of choice fall into your lap on draft day.

As I said earlier, tea leaves…