Saints' breakout player may be too expensive for the Saints to bring back

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Adam Holt | Last updated 2/21/24

Plenty of tough decisions loom for the New Orleans Saints during the 2024 offseason. Bringing back a key piece of their 2023 secondary will be a discussion, and the Saints may lose out on him.

Cornerback Isaac Yiadom emerged as a productive defender for the Saints defense. He stepped into a starting role once Marshon Lattimore went out for the season due to injury. Now, Yiadom is set to be a free agent, and he could grab a nice paycheck due to his impressive play.

Will the Saints be able to bring back Yiadom?

It is going to be difficult for New Orleans. Simply put, the need around the league at defensive back is extremely high. You can argue that nearly two-thirds of the NFL needs an upgrade at CB2 on their depth chart. Mina Kimes agrees with that sort of sentiment.

I’ve got 20/32 teams with CB as a primary need
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) February 20, 2024

For New Orleans, he would be CB3 next season if they keep Marshon Lattimore in the building. Other teams will most likely outbid New Orleans because they will need a player like Yiadom more than the Saints will.

The Saints currently have the biggest salary cap deficit in the NFL. They will dig themselves out of that hole, but it does not mean that they will be able to spend high-end money on depth players in free agency. They won't, and they have bigger needs than cornerback - even if Yiadom departs.

At 28 years old, Yiadom still has plenty of good play left in the tank. He spent just one season with the Saints.

His performance last year was the best of his career, though. With more opportunities, he stepped up in a system that clearly worked well with his skillset.

Yiadom made 31 tackles in 493 snaps in 2023. He recorded a whopping 14 passes defensed last season, too. That's more than every other season of his career combined. Teams tested him, and Yiadom performed well.

With his strong play, there's a legitimate chance that the Saints will be outbid for Yiadom's services. If that's the case, they will need to find another depth option that can fill the void he'd leave next season.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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