Saints Lack of a QB of the Future is Their Biggest Mistake

The offseason is almost officially in the books, and it’s time for each and every move of NFL teams to be put under the microscope. For some NFL teams, it’s not a specific move that is an issue, but rather a lack of a move that could be called into question. When Bleacher Report listed the biggest mistake for each NFL team, it was the lack of finding a QB of the future that was the biggest issue for the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints signed Drew Brees to a new two-year, $50 million deal in mid-March, so head coach Sean Payton clearly thinks he’ll have a top starting quarterback through at least the 2019 season. But when will the Saints add a developmental quarterback to groom behind Brees?

When the Saints moved up to No. 14 overall, it appeared as though they might select such a project, but they instead took edge-rusher Marcus Davenport. New Orleans gave up a first-round pick next season to move up and get Davenport, which will make it more difficult for Payton to obtain a talented young backup behind Brees in the 2019 draft.

The Saints will bring Taysom Hill, Tom Savage and J.T. Barrett to camp this summer. All three could make terrific backups, but it’s unlikely any of the three ever will become a true starter.

Brees’ successor likely isn’t on the roster. Are the Saints playing with fire at quarterback?

But it’s not all bad news. The Saints were the beneficiary of what has been named the biggest offseason mistake for the Chicago Bears:

The Bears don’t appear to have made many mistakes this offseason, but letting restricted free agent Cam Meredith get away could come back to bite general manager Ryan Pace.

While Meredith missed the entire 2017 season after suffering a horrific knee injury during the preseason, he looked like a breakout star in 2016. The Illinois State product caught 66 passes for 888 yards and four scores that season, despite playing mostly with backups Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley.

Meredith signed a two-year, $9.5 million tender with the New Orleans Saints, and the Bears turned down the opportunity to match. If healthy, Meredith could pick up where he left off in 2016 and give Drew Brees a big-play weapon in the passing game.

The Bears signed Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel and later drafted Anthony Miller, so Chicago should be fine at the receiver position in 2018. But if Meredith becomes a star in New Orleans, the Bears will regret not ponying up to keep him in Chicago.

Could news for the Saints.