Reel: Why the Saints should trade for TJ Watt

New Orleans needs a difference maker on defense, and could find it in the disgruntled Steelers superstar.

Pro Football Focus just recently released a list ranking all 32 defensive lines in the NFL and bringing up the rear were the New Orleans Saints ranked dead last at 32nd. The Saints leading sacker last year was Bryan Bresee with 7.5 from the defensive tackle position, and other than him, no one on the team got more than 6 sacks, as Chase Young and Carl Granderson both finished with 5.5. The Saints ranked 20th in the NFL in sacks with just 39, which was part of the reason the Saints defense ranked 30th in the NFL in 2024.

TJ Watt has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL since he entered the league in 2017, has been an All-Pro six times and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. He is currently holding out for a new contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and negotiations are not seeming to be progressing quickly. The Steelers may be inclined to trade their superstar OLB for the right price if they are unable to sign him, and I believe the Saints should seriously consider going after Watt before the season.

The Saints now have a lot of cap space after the retirements of Derek Carr and Ryan Ramczyk and would be able to afford a large contract for Watt, if they were to trade for him. The Saints also do not need to save any significant money for anyone down the road. Almost all of their top earners are aging players who likely will not be brought back after their contracts run out, such as Taysom Hill and Cameron Jordan, and there are not many young players currently on rookie deals who will be needing big extensions soon. Among their last five first round picks, Chris Olave is the only one that would receive a large extension at this point, and even his next contract likely won’t be on the same level as the ones signed by other WRs taken a year before him like Jaylen Waddle or DeVonta Smith. The Saints can afford to be big spenders for someone who is one of the best defenders in the league, even if he is 30 years old.

Despite his age, Watt ranked 8th in the NFL in sacks last year with 11.5 and was just a half sack out of the top 5. Not all pass rushers slow down with age, as three of the seven players with more sacks than Watt last year were older or the same age as him. The Saints defensive line has some solid players, but no true elite pass rusher. Adding a player that demands as much attention as Watt would more than free up players like Young and Granderson which would undoubtedly lead to an increase in their production and the overall success of the defense. Just look at what adding Khalil Mack did for the Chicago Bears in 2018. Mack was younger than Watt at the time yes, but adding his presence turned them from an average defense to arguably the best in the league and made a team with Mitchell Trubisky at QB a 12-4 club. Now, I don’t think adding Watt would lead to that big of an improvement for the Saints, but the game is won and lost in the trenches, and adding Watt could turn the Saints from one of the worst defensive lines in the league to one of the best overnight.

The Saints would more than likely have to give up a 1st or 2nd round pick to acquire Watt, but the price may be worth it. The team has not drafted as well in recent memory, and even if they are target QB in next year’s NFL Draft, after Arch Manning (who the Saints would almost certainly have to have the top pick to acquire, and who may not even be in the next draft in the first place) next year’s QB class is not looking that strong. The offense is a huge unknown this year, as rookie Tyler Shough and sophomore Spencer Rattler will battle out for the starting quarterback job. The Saints improved almost everywhere on offense in the offseason, adding to the offensive line and backfield in the draft, and adding to the WR room with the signing of Brandin Cooks and the return of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed from injury. If the offense can get better around Shough or Rattler, the Saints may not even have to draft a QB in the near future and may not mind parting with a 1st round pick if they can acquire a difference maker on defense at Watt’s level.

The Saints offense has much more upside than the defense, and an obvious scenario we want to avoid is the offense hitting its stride under Kellen Moore and improved health, but the team still unable to win games due to a below average defense. Watt is one of the few players out there who could singlehandedly change the outlook of the Saints defense and help them take advantage of a weak NFC South that is full of young quarterbacks. The price would be high both in money and draft picks, but I believe the reward outweighs the risk. The Saints can afford to pay Watt, and do not need to save a truckload of money to pay anyone down the road and could afford to part with a 1st round pick even in the midst of a rebuild if they can acquire one of the best defenders in the league. Even if it doesn’t work out it would only set them back a year, a year that they were not expected to make much noise anyway, and a draft where they likely wouldn’t find their next franchise QB either. I certainly understand not wanting to give up assets to have to pay a big contract to a 30-year-old player, but I still think the ends justify the means because Watt is simply that good and acquiring him could be the thing the Saints need to get back to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

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