The Saints are sitting in a tricky spot as the trade deadline approaches, and Justin Reid has emerged as one of the clearest names to watch.
New Orleans has enough pieces that could draw interest without completely gutting the roster. Kendre Miller, with Travis Etienne’s return, Davon Godchaux, Pete Werner and Reid all fit that middle ground: moving them would make the team worse, but not to the point of wrecking whatever chance remains to compete. That’s a very different conversation than dealing someone like Chase Young.
Reid is the one worth zeroing in on. Since arriving in New Orleans, he hasn’t been the player many expected.
The Saints hoped he could be the kind of addition Tyrann Mathieu once was, but the results have looked more like Jairus Byrd. Reid has brought veteran experience and leadership on paper, but the on-field impact has not matched the billing.
The mistakes have piled up, and for a veteran, there have been too many of them. Tackling has also been an issue that keeps showing up.
There’s been frustration off the field, too. After some games this season, Reid has gone at fans on social media, which is not the kind of look you want from a captain.
The Saints also don’t have an obvious replacement lined up. Unless they move Jonas Sanker back to safety, there isn’t a certified answer there, and that might actually be the best move for Sanker’s long-term development. If that happens, Quincy Riley could slide into the slot.
For any team considering Reid, the contract is going to be the main attraction. A contender looking for help at safety could come calling, and the Saints may be able to turn him into a late-round pick. The most likely return sounds like a 5th-rounder, with a 4th possible if New Orleans holds firm in negotiations.
That may not be a huge haul, but it could be the kind of move that helps the Saints’ future.
In Other News...
Tyrann Mathieu Just Hit The Saints With A Brutal Reality Check
Tyrann Mathieu did not sugarcoat the state of the Saints as their 2-5 season keeps sliding in the wrong direction. The former New Orleans safety took aim at the teams overall effort and the offensive line play, pointing to the way the offense has struggled to get anything going on the ground and the repeated slow starts that have put the Saints behind early in too many games.
For a franchise already facing hard questions about coaching, roster construction and whether the current mix is good enough, Mathieus critique lands as more than just outside noise. It adds another layer to the evaluation around Kellen Moores first season, because the issues on display are not isolated to one bad afternoon but part of a pattern that has made New Orleans look flat, inconsistent and increasingly hard to trust. [Read more 🡒]
Saints May Be More Open To A Kendre Miller Move Than Expected
The Saints running back picture has already been shaped by injuries and constant shuffling, so it is no surprise that a name like Kendre Miller is showing up in trade chatter. In The Athletic, Jonathan Jones identified Miller and Justin Reid as players other teams could ask about, and the logic around Miller is pretty straightforward: his injury history and uneven progress have made it harder for New Orleans to count on him as a long-term answer.
What makes the situation worth watching is that the Saints may not need much convincing if the right offer comes along. With Travis Etienne Jr.'s expected return also factoring into the backfield conversation, New Orleans could be weighing whether it is better to keep sorting through a crowded, uncertain running back room or move a player who still has some value around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Front Four Problem May Already Be Pointing To A Fix
The Saints front four has become one of the clearest pressure points on a roster that needs a reset, with age and injuries thinning out a unit that has long been central to the teams identity. With the playoff path looking increasingly narrow this season, the conversation is already shifting toward what New Orleans has to do next rather than what it can salvage now.
One offseason route gaining traction is a search for younger defensive line help, and a couple of names have already surfaced as possible fits for that kind of rebuild. The idea is straightforward enough: if the Saints want a real turnaround, they may need to get ahead of the decline up front and start adding bodies who can stabilize the rotation before the problem gets any deeper. [Read more 🡒]