The Saints may not be in position to buy at the trade deadline, but they are still a team worth watching closely. With the season slipping away and a division still technically within reach, New Orleans has a decision to make: sell, stand pat, or make a move that helps both now and later. A Justin Reid trade would fit that last category.
The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones recently pointed to Reid as a possible trade piece, and the logic is easy to see. As Jones wrote, "Veteran safety Justin Reid is also a potential trade target, with a low salary this year and no guaranteed money in 2027."
That contract setup makes Reid more than a simple rumor. It gives any interested team flexibility, and it gives the Saints a clean exit from a signing that has not worked out the way they hoped. Reid arrived with plenty of name value, but through two seasons in New Orleans, he has not delivered at the level the Saints expected.
What makes the idea more intriguing is how it could reshape the back end of the defense. Jonas Sanker flashed real impact as a rookie, and that came at safety. At STAR, he has been serviceable, but the role has not unlocked the kind of play many around the team were anticipating.
There was real buzz when the Saints moved Sanker to STAR after losing Alontae Taylor, but the usage has not matched the vision. Brandon Staley’s version of the role with Derwin James featured movement, physicality and versatility all over the field. Sanker has not been used that way.
Instead, the Saints have leaned on him more like a standard slot corner. He has not been deployed as the downhill force who blitzes, fills against the run and creates problems near the line of scrimmage. That has taken away a big part of what makes him interesting in the first place.
Sanker is at his best when he is attacking, and the most eye-catching plays he has made have come going forward. The current setup has muted that part of his game, which is why the STAR experiment feels less convincing by the week.
Moving him back to safety could bring more out of him and give the defense a little more pop. Reid has been in position plenty of times only to miss the tackle or not even try to make it. Sanker offers a younger option there, and the Saints could lean into that upside.
The ripple effect would not stop there. Quincy Riley could slide into Sanker’s old spot, while Martin Emerson has already taken over the outside corner role from Riley. Keeping Riley in the slot would allow the young defender to stay on the field, and the secondary could use a reshuffle.
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One of the biggest concerns is how often the unit is backing itself into difficult situations, where the margin for error disappears and the defense can pin its ears back. Shough has flashed enough to keep the conversation from turning entirely bleak, but the overall picture is still one of an offense searching for answers, even as a few individual performances have stood out along the way. [Read more 🡒]