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3 Free Agents the Saints Need to Sign to Get Back to the Super Bowl

By Michael Luciano

Saints free agent rumors would be lit ablaze with the addition of Amari Cooper into the mix.
Saints free agent rumors would be lit ablaze with the addition of Amari Cooper into the mix. / Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The New Orleans Saints went into the playoffs with a 13-3 record for the second consecutive year and an Offensive Player of the Year in Michael Thomas out wide, but all that promise was swept away when Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings waltzed into the Superdome and laid waste to them. That loss really exposed the lack of depth at cornerback, linebacker, and wide receiver that hampered the Saints, and with free agency around the corner, New Orleans should maneuver to add one of these three game-changers.

3. CB Kendall Fuller

Kansas City Chiefs CB Kendall Fuller helped bring home a Super Bowl LIV title
Kansas City Chiefs CB Kendall Fuller helped bring home a Super Bowl LIV title / Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Kendall Fuller is fresh off winning a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in which he intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo to help officially ice it for Andy Reid. Fuller struggled to stay healthy this season, but he emerged as one of the stickier slot corners in all of football, as evidenced by how he clamped down on Emmanuel Sanders in Miami. With Marshon Lattimore, Vonn Bell, and Fuller leading the secondary, New Orleans' defensive backfield could move into the "loaded" category in 2020.

2. LB Cory Littleton

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Cory Littleton is an all-around threat in the heart of any defense.
Los Angeles Rams linebacker Cory Littleton is an all-around threat in the heart of any defense. / Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Cory Littleton has evolved from a standout special teamer into one of the most productive tacklers in all of football. A starter the last two seasons, he has amassed 259 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and five interceptions. Demario Davis needs someone better than Kiko Alonso and AJ Klein to line up next to him, and Littleton could give the Saints two of the fastest linebackers in the league. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen would have a ball deploying Littleton in New Orleans.

1. WR Amari Cooper

If the Dallas Cowboys let wide receiver Amari Cooper walk, New Orleans needs to get on the phone.
If the Dallas Cowboys let wide receiver Amari Cooper walk, New Orleans needs to get on the phone. / Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

Michael Thomas is the best wide receiver in football, and that is even more impressive considering that the Saints don't have a No. 2 receiver that can take some of the heat off of him. Amari Cooper might have set career highs in receiving yards (1,189) and touchdowns (eight) in 2019, but the Cowboys might be priced out of retaining him given their need to pay Dak Prescott. Imagine New Orleans bringing Cooper in, creating a scenario in which he and Thomas would be catching balls from Drew Brees in a Sean Payton offense. Look out, NFC. Yikes.