Saints met with top QB prospect Cam Ward [Schefter: CLE, NYG or maybe Saints have to make an offer compelling enough for #1 pick]

[Saint Spud]

Not a fan of this. I don't think Ward is quite that level of prospect, and I don't think we need to give into urgency.

Next year, there will be several QBs comparable to Ward that are more attainable without selling the franchise. This team needs a lot of young talent. We can't give away two first rounds, two second rounders, and a good player (what it cost last time to go that high) for a 50/50 shot on a QB.

I think this is the crux of the argument: do you believe in Ward so much that you’d rather move for him than wait a year for guys you don’t know as much about yet?

If you are convicted that he’s a franchise QB (which I am), then you make the move and don’t look back.

If you think he’s a “maybe,” then you stay put.

 

[AdamWest]

Not a fan of this. I don't think Ward is quite that level of prospect, and I don't think we need to give into urgency.

Next year, there will be several QBs comparable to Ward that are more attainable without selling the franchise. This team needs a lot of young talent. We can't give away two first rounds, two second rounders, and a good player (what it cost last time to go that high) for a 50/50 shot on a QB.

Everyone keeps saying this but.... how does anyone know? Attainable how? If the Saints are picking 15-16 range (or even let's just say 9 again) and the QBs "are better next year" (which by all accounts they will be) then two things happen:

1) the cost to trade up becomes even HIGHER than this year
2) teams picking high don't trade those picks because the QB prospects are better. LV tried to trade the farm to WASH last year for JD5 and they didn't budge. Same for NYG to NE for Maye, they didn't budge.

So everyone keeps bringing up that argument and... it logically doesn't make sense. It only makes sense if you expect the Saints to be awful next season and picking top 3-5 (which they could be).

 

[BoNcHiE]

Everyone keeps saying this but.... how does anyone know? Attainable how? If the Saints are picking 15-16 range (or even let's just say 9 again) and the QBs "are better next year" (which by all accounts they will be) then two things happen:

1) the cost to trade up becomes even HIGHER than this year
2) teams picking high don't trade those picks because the QB prospects are better. LV tried to trade the farm to WASH last year for JD5 and they didn't budge. Same for NYG to NE for Maye, they didn't budge.

So everyone keeps bringing up that argument and... it logically doesn't make sense. It only makes sense if you expect the Saints to be awful next season and picking top 3-5 (which they could be).

You will not have to go to #1 to get a prospect on the level of Ward next year. You might not have to trade at all.

This is a historically awful year for QBs in the draft.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

I think this is the crux of the argument: do you believe in Ward so much that you’d rather move for him than wait a year for guys you don’t know as much about yet?

If you are convicted that he’s a franchise QB (which I am), then you make the move and don’t look back.

If you think he’s a “maybe,” then you stay put.

Conviction. It truly depends on their evaluation of Ward. If the Titans truly want to get rid of this pick (and there's enough data to prove they've been on that train since Feb) the longer you wait the more likely they accept your original offer. Loomis doesn't have to budge.

Just hope Loomis doesn't get desperate enough in such a way that he mortages more than necessary, let the Titans get anxious.

 

[WilliamBrees]

Especially fan base in this case being a message board as far as we know.

Maybe someone was right about not being able to coach men. We're about to see. Also Gayle might be overplaying her hand as well. Something tells me she's more involved in this than Moore.

 

[lurking around]

Loomis has to make this work or he will likely no longer be gm. There is a sense of urgency. Moore meeting with all these qbs tells you how he feels about the qb room

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

Loomis has to make this work or he will likely no longer be gm. There is a sense of urgency. Moore meeting with all these qbs tells you how he feels about the qb room

I agree, I don't see Mickey being GM for too much longer, so this last hire/QB will be his legacy. If he leaves the team w/ Moore and Ward...and they are successful, it'll set him up to walk away in high regard.

The NFL is simple....get the right QB/HC and your franchise can turn around quickly. If Loomis feels those two are the right pairing...go for it Connect 4.

 

[WilliamBrees]

Man is spitting. For fun (and I ain't gonna entertain the "oh this player should be this thing), this is how the Saints have drafted recently - I'd much rather them swing for the fences for a QB they are in love with than continue the same path over and over. "Build in the trenches, there are holes everywhere!" Yeah, they've tried that route. It hasn't worked.

So now they want to fix the most important position on the team (WHICH IS VERY RISKY) and it's like "nope don't do it, no way". It's baffling.

One thing for certain. When the Saints don't have a first round pick the next two years, watch what other teams in our division do. They will have seen their division rivals go all out for a QB and knowing they have their QBs will possibly try to trade up next year for a high impact player knowing the Saints are vulnerable.

 

[St. Widge]

I think this is the crux of the argument: do you believe in Ward so much that you’d rather move for him than wait a year for guys you don’t know as much about yet?

If you are convicted that he’s a franchise QB (which I am), then you make the move and don’t look back.

If you think he’s a “maybe,” then you stay put.

I also think you have to factor into the decision whether you are better with say Rattler or Shadeur Sanders, along with all the draft picks that you would use to get Ward, or Ward without all those draft picks.

I tend to like the idea of swinging for the fences with Ward and if it doesn't work out, start over in 2 or 3 years, but I do find the idea of Sanders, or even Dart, and all those picks to build around him interesting. Sanders is not the dynamic player that Ward is, but he is incredibly accurate and I think Moore could work well with that. And while I don't think Dart is a first round talent, he has some athleticism that Moore could also use well. I'm getting to the point where if one of Graham, Jeanty, Warren, or Tet don't fall to #9, then I'd be fine with taking a shot on a QB even if it is a reach because I don't know that there will be any great options available at #9.

I'd also be okay with waiting on QB until next year, but that too is very risky since you just never know if the QBs will actually turn out to be better next year. At the start of this year, people were talking about Nussmeier as a top 10 pick and he ended up not even entering the draft. No doubt because he was told he would not be a first, or likely even a second round pick. And now we are counting on him, Sellers, Allar, etc. to improve enough to be a top pick and for there to be enough good QBs available for the Saints to get one next year. That to me is just as risky as trading up for Ward or drafting Sanders, Dart, etc. or going with Rattler.

In the end, we are going to have to take a big risk at QB sooner or later and I think Ward is as good of a risk as any as long as Moore really likes him. It is absolutely incredible, not in a good way, that this team has not used a 1st or 2nd round pick on a QB since 1981.

 

[St. Widge]

You will not have to go to #1 to get a prospect on the level of Ward next year. You might not have to trade at all.

This is a historically awful year for QBs in the draft.

Which QBs do you think will be clearly better than Ward and why wouldn't the teams ahead of us either draft them or want a deal better than what it would take to get Ward this year?

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

I also think you have to factor into the decision whether you are better with say Rattler or Shadeur Sanders, along with all the draft picks that you would use to get Ward, or Ward without all those draft picks.

I tend to like the idea of swinging for the fences with Ward and if it doesn't work out, start over in 2 or 3 years, but I do find the idea of Sanders, or even Dart, and all those picks to build around him interesting. Sanders is not the dynamic player that Ward is, but he is incredibly accurate and I think Moore could work well with that. And while I don't think Dart is a first round talent, he has some athleticism that Moore could also use well. I'm getting to the point where is one of Graham, Jeanty, Warren, or Tet don't fall to #9, then I'd be fine with taking a shot on a QB even if it is a reach because I don't know that there will be any great options available at #9.

I'd also be okay with waiting on QB until next year, but that too is very risky since you just never know if the QB will actually turn out to be better next year. At the start of this year, people were talking about Nussmeier as a top 10 pick and he ended up not even entering the draft. No doubt because he was told he would not be a first, or likely even a second round pick. And now we are counting on him, Sellers, Allar, etc. to improve enough to be a top pick and for there to be enough good QBs available for the Saints to get one next year. That to me is just as risky as trading up for Ward or drafting Sanders, Dart, etc. or going with Rattler.

In the end, we are going to have to take a big risk at QB sooner or later and I think Ward is as good of a risk as any as long as Moore really likes him. It is absolutely incredible, not in a good way, that this team has not used a 1st or 2nd round pick on a QB since 1981.

Last time the Saints picked in the top 10 was 2008. If you plan on it being that long b4 you pick in that range again now is the time to strike.

 

[tyler735]

You could literally make this argument for literally every player/prospect ever taken in the draft.

Not only that, but if people are going to start bringing up situations about teams being disappointed by "trading up" for QB's the reverse is also very true in several situations:

Chiefs are thrilled with trading up for Patrick Mahomes
Ravens are thrilled with trading up for Lamar Jackson
Buffalo are thrilled with trading up for Josh Allen
Houston was (initially) thrilled with trading up for Deshaun Watson until he became a sexual predator
Rams traded up for Goff who went to multiple Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl with the Rams and is now playing great for the Lions
Ravens traded up for Joe Flacco who helped them win a Super Bowl
Giants traded up for Eli Manning who helped them win 2 Super Bowls
Falcons traded up for Mike Vick who went to 3 Pro Bowls and finished top 4 in MVP voting twice for them. Had he not been an idiot with the dog fighting stuff his career with Atlanta likely would have been viewed much more positively

Sure there are some "differing" costs for some of these trades, but each of these trades featured a front office that saw a guy at QB they thought they could win with and they took a chance trading away high draft picks to acquire them. If our front office thinks Ward is "that guy" then I'm all for it. This franchise hasn't even made an attempt to draft a QB high in the draft since way before I was born. If they finally feel it's time to take a swing at the most important position in football, then why not at this point.

 

[meily]

He's not worth the draft capital required to possibly select him, we are not desperate or lack talent at the QB positions, but CB, S, LB, DE, DT, OL is a different story.

 

[JackDiesel]

You will not have to go to #1 to get a prospect on the level of Ward next year. You might not have to trade at all.

This is a historically awful year for QBs in the draft.

So you'll still have to trade into the top 5 from 15+. Last year was a historically great year for QB's and all were gone by #12 and the surefire franchise QB's went 1-3 and the teams in those spots couldn't be moved.

So you're either looking at a trade that will be just as expensive as one this year or no team will want to trade back instead of drafting their own future franchise QB.

This year the team with the #1 pick doesn't really want to pick from there and our coaches and scouts seem to really like Ward as a franchise QB. The only question that remains is the cost and right now it looks to be a bridge too far.