Saints may not have a Marshon Lattimore-size trade this year, but they did set a precedent

The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday afternoon. Several New Orleans Saints players have been mentioned as potential trade candidates. Whether any get moved remains to be seen, but the Saints would certainly be wise to move at least a few players at a reasonable price.

New Orleans currently has only five choices in the 2026 NFL draft. It’s a number that could increase to six with a potential compensatory pick. This is unacceptable for a team devoid of talent and attempting to rebuild. At 1-8 and often looking every bit as bad as their record, the Saints don’t have a ton of tradable assets. Barring a blockbuster offer, they’ll almost certainly hold onto recent draft choices like Taliese Fuaga, Bryan Bresee, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and this year’s rookie class.

Having said this, the Saints would also be fools not to move other players for future draft picks. They need look no further than their own move at 2024 trade deadline. Last November, New Orleans traded cornerback Marshon Lattimore and a 2025 Round 5 choice to Washington. In exchange, the Saints got 3rd, 4th, and 6th round picks in the 2025 draft. Here’s what New Orleans did with those selections.

• S Jonas Sanker (Round 3, 93rd overall)
• CB Quincy Riley (Round 4, 131 overall)
• RB Devin Neal (Round 6, 184 overall)

Jonas Sanker is quickly turning into a playmaker on the back end. A two-time 1st Team All-ACC selection with the Virginia Cavaliers, he took over the starting safety role from an injured Julian Blackmon in Week 2. Since then, Sanker has an interception, 4 passes broken up, a fumble recovery, and 2 tackles for loss among 46 total stops. He’s had the ups and downs you’d expect from a rookie, but has also shown tremendous range, instincts, and good versatility.

It took longer for Quincy Riley to get into the lineup because of the inexplicable coaching insistence to play Isaac Yiadom. Second team All-ACC with the Louisville Cardinals in 2024, Riley flashed promise in limited snaps for the Saints in the third and fourth weeks before finally getting extensive playing time in Week 5. Since then, Riley has been the team’s most consistent in coverage responsibilities. He has 1 interception, 5 pass breakups, and a forced fumble while allowing only 58.8% completion percentage when targeted.

A consecutive 2nd Team All-Big 12 selection, Devin Neal fell to Round 6 despite three straight years of over 1,000 rushing yards with the Kansas Jayhawks. Neal saw a few snaps in the season opener before being inactive until Week 6. With the season-ending ACL injury to Kendre Miller, he’s now the primary backup to Alvin Kamara in the New Orleans backfield. Neal still hasn’t gotten many touches, seeing just six rushes and 4 catches for 33 total yards on the year. However, he can be a rugged runner between the tackles and has shown great promise on blitz pickups in third down situations.

Trading Lattimore wasn’t an easy decision. He’s the best cornerback in franchise history and was a vital part of several great New Orleans contending teams. However, moving Lattimore netted a return of two starting defensive backs in a young rebuilt secondary along with a potential backup running back. Outside of Chris Olave, the Saints likely don’t have a single player that they’d move in a potential trade to bring back a very high return.

New Orleans needs more draft capitol to rebuild their team. Riley and Neal were both Day 3 choices, while Sanker came off the board late in Day 2. If moving players like Pete Werner, Cesar Ruiz, Rashid Shaheed/Chris Olave, Brandin Cooks, Carl Granderson, and Alontae Taylor can give this team multiple Day 3 choices, then the Saints need to pull that trigger for the future welfare of the franchise.