Is the Saints' roster ready to add a rookie QB or high pick at running back?

I was watching TV the other day, and within the same hour they said the Saints aren’t ready for a rookie quarterback. And then a little bit later they said that they aren’t ready for a running back. And then they said they wouldn’t draft the pass catchers without other pieces in place.

So … what the hell is anyone ever supposed to do? You just never draft anyone who touches the ball?

I’m being a little obtuse. The point I think they’re making without making, even though they’re not saying it, is to build the line and then go from there. And I don’t disagree with this point of view. I’d be all for drafting an offensive lineman with the ninth pick if that that’s the best player available. It makes sense, even if people hate those picks. Everyone wants the Eagles’ line, but no one wants to draft it.

But I also think that if you wait until everything is perfect on your line before you ever add a quarterback or a running back, you might be waiting for a really long time and you might miss out on a ton of talent while you’re waiting for everything to be perfect.

Think about how much effort the Saints put into building their offensive line during the second Super Bowl window. They kept collecting talent. Terron Armstead arrived in 2013. Max Unger and Andrus Peat in 2015. And, finally, in 2017, everything came together, when Larry Warford and Ryan Ramczyk landed with them.

The group was awesome that year, one of the best lines in the league. They stayed great in 2018, too. The group was still good the next two seasons, but not quite as much, but that didn’t matter so much because Alvin Kamara was at the peak of his powers and breaking tackles left and right.

And then it was over. The group was injured all throughout 2021, and players started leaving the next year. Some draft picks didn’t work out as hoped and then Ramczyk’s career ended. There is still enough talent on the roster to have hope in the line*, and, honestly, there’s enough there that it could get better in a hurry. But, no, it isn’t a strength — and certainly nowhere near the standard set in 2017**.

*The Saints had a run-block win rate of 72% last year. The Bears led the league at 75%. New Orleans was ninth in the league with 1.52 yards before contact per run … and that’s with all the injuries last year. The idea that someone can’t run behind this line just doesn’t ring true to me. My opinion: Building a good run game actually feels like the thing the team could do most quickly to help a young QB.

**As good as that group was in 2017, I’m not sure people realize how much Drew Brees getting rid of the ball quickly that whole season elevated the whole group. Someone would get hurt and nothing would change and we’d walk around like, “Wow! How is this happening?!?” Drew is how it was happening. It’s easy to prevent sacks when the QB is barely touching the ball.

Still, you apparently aren’t supposed to acquire a quarterback or a running back and maybe not a pass catcher until everything is right upfront. Which I do get in the idyllic sense. You want to have everything together so you can maximize your window with the QB and back and not waste time or talent before your line is together. The rookie QB might get his ass kicked and not pan out if you can’t block, and the running back is supposed to be a force multiplier for a solid line, not the other way around.

But what if your plan doesn’t work out? We all know the guy that doesn’t want to get the girl until he has the job and the car and the place to live. But what if she shows up and takes your breath away while you’re running to catch the bus? Do you just say no?

I mean, maybe you don’t have that much runway, but it doesn’t make sense to pass up on star players while you’re building your house. So long as you got walls in, I think it’s fine to acquire some fixtures and furniture while you’re waiting for the painters to show up with the finishing touches. In other words, I think the Saints have a good enough line to go get their QB or a back, even if the situation isn’t admittedly perfect and there’s still work to do upfront. The key is just making sure you keep building the trenches.

You just can’t tell me that the Saints should say no to a franchise quarterback or someone they view as a game-changing running back, the kind of guy who gives you an identity, because Trevor Penning hasn’t worked out as hoped and they don’t have a long-term answer at left guard. It sure feels a lot easier to get an adequate or better tackle than it does to get that same player at quarterback.

And maybe I’m super wrong. But I just think it would have been OK to bring Alvin Kamara into the fold in 2016, before you had everything figured out up front. I think the Bengals made the right decision to draft Joe Burrow even though their line stunk. The real mistake there has been not investing quickly enough to get better around him. But maybe that’s just me.

Again, I don’t disagree AT ALL with the idea that it’s better to have your line in place before you get those guys. But I think all this means for Saints is if they take their QB or back is that they’d need to show some urgency in building out the line. Otherwise, you might be waiting forever for the harder-to-find pieces to show up.

I think you really only have three or four-year window of everything being great and perfect and exactly as designed if you refuse to do anything until your line is exactly right. And if you’re waiting for all those pieces to be there, what happens if the star isn’t there? What if things don’t line up for you to get that special back or the right quarterback?

I think you just take advantage of the opportunities you have to acquire the best talent and make sure that you’re keeping the offensive line a priority while you do it. It doesn’t have to be one thing at a time. I think it can be both.