Help With Designating Better Fitting Roles
Having a player like Emmanuel Sanders will help the Saints to keep a largely unproven player like Tre’Quan Smith in a better-suited role in the offense. He will likely be able to focus more on being the vertical deep threat that spreads the defense out with Ted Ginn Jr. out of the picture.
It’s genuinely important for the Saints to have someone fill Ginn’s previous role to spread the defense vertically. New Orleans already averaged just 6.7 average intended air yards when Drew Brees threw the ball, which ranked ahead of only Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr, and Teddy Bridgewater.
Some additional context to take into consideration is the fact that Ginn averaged 16.1 intended air yards per attempt in 2019. Only Marquez Valdes-Scanton and Mike Williams averaged more. That shows how relied upon Ginn was for deeper throws within the Saints’ offense.
There is a lot of savvy that goes into being an effective receiver that ranks highly within the hierarchy of a team’s offense. Sanders possesses the ability to create separation against impactful defenders with advanced route-running and footwork that Smith simply lacks.
