The New Orleans Saints stunned with the trade of Jimmy Graham and now the team may be targeting free agents like CJ Spiller, Brandon Browner, Scott Chandler, Tramon Williams and Jermaine Gresham on the market, as Drew Brees needs some new weapons with Pierre Thomas released and Graham traded to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Saints traded Graham after just signing him to a major contract last year and GM Mickey Loomis said this will give the team the chance to improve on both sides of the ball. The cap situation was untenable and with Drew Brees taking up over $25 million on the cap, they had to do something. According to ESPN.com, the team is meeting with free agents CJ Spiller and Brandon Browner, while names like Jordan Cameron, Scott Chandler and Jermaine Gresham could be replacement tight end options.
--UPDATE: ESPN reports that Browner has signed a three year deal with the Saints.
Losing Graham takes away a top target for the Saints, but Brees gets one of the best offensive linemen in the league in Max Unger. While that is not as sexy as a star tight end, Brees will have more protection and long term that could be a big positive for the Saints. The team got rid of Darren Sproles last year and released Pierre Thomas and now they could look at CJ Spiller to join Mark Ingram in the backfield. The team signed Ingram to a four year deal and Spiller fits the mold of what the offense likes to do.
Spiller had his best season in 2012 while playing for the Bills under Chan Gailey and an offensive mind like Sean Payton likely could utilize him like the Bills did. Spiller has been inconsistent in his time with the Bills, but a new team could give an opportunity to get back on track. The Bills did not re-sign Spiller after trading for LeSean McCoy and now he has interest from a number of teams, including the Patriots, 49ers and NY Jets.
The Saints have also met with Brandon Browner and are looking at Williams, as they were one of the worst teams against the pass last season. Browner was with the Patriots last season and he could be a fit with the Saints.
Spiller is one player that has received some attention on the market, as Pro Football Talk reports that at least six teams are interested in the running back. The Bills were not going to bring back Spiller once they traded for LeSean McCoy and now teams like the Cowboys, Patriots and Eagles could be in the mix for him. According to Adam Schefter, Spiller will be visiting with the New Orleans Saints this week and he could be a potential option to replace Pierre Thomas, who was released.
Spiller is coming off of an injury season that saw him miss seven games and he ended up with just 300 yards rushing for the Bills. Spiller had his best season in 2012 when he had 1244 rushing yards and 43 catches for 459 yards and that was when he played for Chan Gailey. Gailey is now offensive coordinator for the Jets and that could lead to the team chasing Spiller. Last season Spiller played in just nine games and in 2013 he had 927 yards rushing in 15 games.
