The New Orleans Saints traded running back Darren Sproles to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason and with his production leaving the offense, a trade for Chris Johnson could be in the works before his release from the Tennessee Titans and if that doesn't get done, the team could look at drafting Carlos Hyde in the draft in May and this all comes as the team is working out a deal with tight end Jimmy Graham.
The team could also look at names like Miles Austin and Sidney Rice could be potential free agent targets and this comes as the team is working out a contract with Jimmy Graham to keep him with the team long term.
The Saints were on one of the top offensive teams in the league last season and losing Sproles will be a hit, but keeping Graham is the top priority and they are expected to get that done soon. According to ESPN.com, the Saints were mentioned by some as a potential landing spot for Jackson, as the team could use some depth behind Marques Colston and Kenny Stills at wide receiver. The Eagles released Jackson last week after fielding trade offers and now he has had reported interest from a number of teams, including the NY Jets, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns. UPDATE: yeah, DeSean Jackson signed with the Redskins.
The Saints were mentioned as one of the teams on the outside with a chance to look at Jackson, but ESPN.com is now reporting that the Saints are not in the mix to sign Jackson. The team has confidence in Stills as well as Nick Toon and Joe Morgan, while Sean Payton is a coach that won't tolerate some of the behavior Jackson reportedly exhibited, including missing meetings and not having a high work ethic. Jackson had over 80 catches for 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns last season, but the Saints have Graham already along with Colston, Stills, Toon and Morgan and they could also add a receiver in the draft, as this class is very deep this season.
The 2014 class has names like Mike Evans and Sammy Watkins at the top, while players like Allen Robinson, Jordan Matthews and Odell Beckham all could be early players off the board. Payton spoke about Mark Ingram, Khiry Robinson and Travaris Cadet at running back and that group was a reason why he felt comfortable trading Sproles, despite all the production he put up for the team. The 49ers are in tbe mix for Jackson and they had been mentioned as a possible destination for free agent DeSean Jackson after his release by the Eagles. The Saints went 11-5 last season and ranked second in the NFL in passing yards per game with over 300 yards per contest.
