The New Orleans Saints are watching out for plenty veterans hitting the open market around the NFL. They've shown interest in veteran running back Nick Chubb, although he seems destined to land with the Houston Texans.
Another experienced veteran player is hitting free agency due to an AFC team moving on from him. New Orleans' interest is something to monitor for him.
The Cincinnati Bengals are releasing linebacker Germaine Pratt, according to Tom Pelissero. He'll have plenty of suitors on the free agent market.
Saints should not sign Germaine Pratt
The Saints should not go after Pratt, though. While Pete Werner has dealt with some injuries over the past couple of years, I think New Orleans would be smarter to give reps to rookie Danny Stutsman in the case of injury or opportunities with three linebackers on the field for their defense.
Pratt's play has also seen a bit of a downturn recently. As he gets older, it is fair to project that his best football may be behind him. Our resident Bengals writer John Sheeran agreed with that sentiment and gave me some great details on Pratt's game.
Germaine Pratt is a great example of how a player’s prime can arrive early in his career and go away just as quickly. Pratt balled out from 2021-22 while the Bengals were at their best defensively, and many great moments and victories were attributed to his ability to force clutch turnovers. But as his entered his late 20s, his movement ability declined and everything else suffered. It’s tough to feel comfortable about him starting full-time anymore at age 29, but he can probably pull off a few more great moments here and there.
-- John Sheeran
Danny Stutsman's rookie role
Stutsman is set to play a notable special teams role in his first season. If the Saints add Pratt, the potential playing time for Stutsman could take a hit.
Instead, New Orleans should allow the rookie linebacker to get a fair shake - even if that comes with mistakes as a first-year player.
Obviously, he's not going to be a starter right off the bat as a rookie for a team that has a pretty decent linebacker corps. But, Danny Stutsman, if thrown into that role, could absolutely be good enough to start for the New Orleans Saints. Sure, it all depends on what he's going to be asked to do, because if you purely want him to be a guy that drops back in coverage all game, then he will have more failing moments than not. He can do it every once in a while, but he won't thrive there as a rookie.
Now, if they want him to just attack the ball, and be a guy that they can blitz and, have certain packages for him where he is used as a defensive weapon because of his speed and pursuit, he can definitely do that. Stutsman can play in the NFL as a rookie, it's just about getting the opportunity to and adding another linebacker in the mix could throw that all off, along with his development. The more he gets to play, the better and quicker he can develop. -- Justin Churchill
We will see if New Orleans goes after Pratt in any capacity. The defense for the Saints could use even more depth, but adding to the secondary makes more sense than another linebacker addition as of now.
