1 trade New Orleans Saints should explore before 53-man roster is finalized

The New Orleans Saints have some talented pieces on offense. They have one of the best young wide receivers in the league in Chris Olave. Quarterback Derek Carr has been one of the more steady quarterbacks in the league for years. Rookie backup quarterback Spencer Rattler shined in the preseason and should give the team and fans confidence they have a talented backup if something happens to Carr.

Two areas of concern on the Saints roster may be the offensive line, and the depth at wide receiver behind Olave. The Saints are scheduled to start the season with two unproven tackles protecting Carr, and have some potential at wide receiver, but could use more competition to get the best out of the roster. With the NFL’s cutdown day here, there could be opportunity for the Saints to improve at least one of those two concerns.

Alex Kay , NFL analyst for Bleacher Report, believes the Saints should make a play for Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III. The Saints have two promising receivers, Rashid Shaheed and Bub Means, already in-house, but Kay believes that Metchie would come in and provide the team with a great competition and could push one of those two into becoming a solid number two option – or develop into one himself.

Metchie was a promising receiver coming into the 2022 NFL Draft when the Houston Texans took him in the second round out of Alabama. Unfortunately, that promise was quickly derailed when Metchie missed his rookie season with a leukemia diagnosis. Metchie was able to recover from the cancer diagnosis to see the field last season, but with Houston flush with talent, may have a hard time seeing the field at all this season.

In New Orleans, however, Metchie would have a much more clear path to playing time. Even if Metchie doesn’t end up developing into a second option, he would likely stick with the team as a third or fourth. Multiple teams have reportedly reached out to the Texans to inquire about Metchie’s availability, so it may take a strong offer from the Saints to get a deal done. Kay proposes New Orleans offer a sixth-round pick, but if the competition for Metchie is fierce, that may not be enough.