New Orleans Saints should list former 1st-round pick on trade block, says NFL analyst

The New Orleans Saints could be one of the more active teams on the NFL’s trade block around the time of final cuts to reach the 53-man roster limit.

Those Saints, after all, are stuck in a rebuild with a not-so-great cap situation that includes just $10.8 million in free space and a murky long-term outlook.

Part of that rebuilding and possible trade activity could involve selling pieces to other teams in exchange for future draft assets.

Pieces such as former first-round pick Payton Turner.

Turner was just listed as a guy the Saints should throw on the trade block by Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler :

“A first-rounder back in 2021, Turner has consistently remained a player that has lived under a "two years away from being two years away" label. His skill set hasn't bloomed for New Orleans, and a change of scenery could do him well at 25 years old.”

Turner has indeed struggled to meet expectations that came with being the 28th pick in 2021, registering just three sacks over as many seasons and just 15 games and never playing more than 41 percent of the defense’s snaps in a season during his rookie year.

While keeping Turner on the roster wouldn’t be too costly from a money perspective, it’s worth wondering if the Saints would float him as a trade asset now that Chase Young is in town to join the rotation with Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson.

In an ideal world, perhaps Turner finally stays on the field and realizes some of his upside for an improving defense. But at this point, one has to think the front office might strike a deal should he manage to be on the roster bubble by the end of the summer, too.

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