The New Orleans Saints entered this offseason with the expectation of finding a starting-caliber offensive tackle to at least compete with former first-round pick Trevor Penning. However, as the offseason progressed the Saints found themselves in a deeper hole than initially thought. Former All-Pro tackle Ryan Ramczyk is on the brink of retirement while dealing with a degenerative knee. The team also was hit with the retirement of offensive lineman James Hurst, who started a total of 51 games in his four seasons with the Saints.
The team did patch at least one of these holes in selecting right tackle Taliese Fuaga in Round 1 of the NFL draft but there is still room to add help along this front five. Whether they want to admit it or not, Andrus Peat signing with the Las Vegas Raiders is a big blow for New Orleans. He was the Saints’ best option at left tackle last year and has been a reliable starter at guard over the years when healthy.
With the roster fully coming into focus at this time of the year, here are a few free agents that the Saints could bring in to help shore up this area.