Anonymous rivals were impressed by Saints' moves in free agency
Rival executives had to tip their caps to an 'impressive' Saints free agent class. The Athletic's sources say they 'definitely got a lot faster.'
Spring NFL owners meetings aren't just an opportunity for reporters to sit down with coaches and get their takes on the record after free agency. It's an opportunity for general managers, personnel executives, and many of those same coaches to say what they really think off the record. The Athletic's Mike Sando got a pulse for every team's free agency performance this year, including the New Orleans Saints , and what he shared is a whole lot more optimistic than the latest NFL power rankings might lead you to believe .
“The Saints’ build is impressive, I’ll give them that,” one team executive told The Athletic. “(Travis) Etienne is a fast guy that has juice on that turf. Losing Demario Davis and his leadership is tough.
We liked Alontae Taylor as well. Those defensive losses are huge, but they make sense. They are not trying to build around 30-year-olds.
” Davis has already left the team in free agency, and Cameron Jordan may follow him after spending most of the last month weighing his options. This is a younger Saints team than the one we last saw in January. That trend should continue through the 2026 NFL Draft and into the summer as more veterans come to New Orleans for training camp.