The New Orleans Saints are a lot of people’s pick to win the NFC South in 2023. They have the most established quarterback in the division after signing Derek Carr earlier this offseason, which is enough for many to peg them as the favorites. They are also the only team that isn’t coming out of or should be in a rebuild.
The Carolina Panthers will be working in No. 1 pick Bryce Young while the Atlanta Falcons are going with second-year signal caller, Desmond Ridder. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finding out how hard life after Tom Brady is as they will be going with either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask.
From that perspective, it makes sense why the Saints are such a popular pick. But, it will take more than the quarterback for them to win games. There are certainly other areas of the team that could use some shoring up to improve their odds of taking home the NFC South.
One area that could use an upgrade is the defensive front, namely their pass rush. The Saints have star Cameron Jordan but little else in the way of depth after Carl Granderson. Their defensive line was hit hard by defections this offseason and it shows in their depth chart.
One way to alleviate those concerns is by making a trade ahead of the season. Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report has suggested that the Saints do just that. A potential target for them could be Dorance Armstrong of the Dallas Cowboys.
Armstrong could be losing out on the numbers game in Dallas. He is coming off the best season of his career but keeping him on the roster could be a luxury that the team cannot afford in 2023.
With Micah Parsons transitioning to a full-time edge rusher, their pass-rushing department is full. DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler Jr., Sam Williams and rookie Viliami Fehoko Jr. are all on the roster as well. Armstrong is certainly worthy of getting snaps, but if the Cowboys want to develop younger players such as Williams and Fehoko, something has to give.
Ballentine suggested that they trade Armstrong to open up those snaps in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Saints via the Jacksonville Jaguars. For the Saints, Armstrong would be featured in a more prominent role opposite Jordan along with Granderson.
Only 26 in June, Armstrong would provide the Saints with a potential long-term replacement at edge rusher with Jordan now 34 years old. No other edge player on the New Orleans roster had more than 2.0 sacks last season other than Jordan and Granderson, which Armstrong would assuredly change.
