Saints spend offseason tuning up defense

The New Orleans Saints entered the 2014 NFL season as one of the hottest picks to win the Super Bowl. They ended it as perhaps the league’s biggest disappointment.

As it has been with many of the Saints’ failures under Sean Payton, the problem was on defense. New Orleans stumbled at all three levels as the pass rush struggled to create pressure, the linebacking unit lacked playmakers, and the secondary failed to live up to enormous preseason hype.

The offense was not entirely blameless, either, despite finishing No. 1 in the league in yardage. Drew Brees had another stellar season statistically, but repeated turnovers in high-leverage situations cost his team dearly. Whether it was bad timing or bad luck, untimely lapses in ball security cost the Saints a playoff berth.

The offensive line, particularly on the interior, can be blamed for most of Brees’ mishaps — although waning arm strength and downfield accuracy is a concern for the 36-year-old — and general manager Mickey Loomis went to work patching those holes in the offseason.

The team sent star tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks for a first-round draft pick and former Pro Bowl center Max Unger before selecting tackle Andrus Peat with the 13th overall pick of the draft. With three offensive tackles on the team (Peat, Terron Armstrong and Zach Strief), New Orleans can move one to guard, which should provide Brees more room to step up in the pocket — something he rarely had the option to do in 2014.

New Orleans used its second first-round pick on Stephone Anthony, who will add much-needed bulk to the linebacking corps, and traded for Dannell Ellerbe to add depth. Former New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner was brought in to round out the defensive tuneup.

The Saints were hamstrung by a tight salary cap situation, so their offseason moves were never going to be extensive. But with such a talented roster, drastic moves weren’t necessarily needed.

By plugging a few gaps — and enjoying better luck in the turnover department — New Orleans could easily go from one of 2014’s biggest disappointments to one of 2015’s biggest surprises.

Quarterback

With Brees showing signs of decline — and carrying a $53.8 million cap hit over the next two seasons, according to Spotrac.com — the Saints drafted Garrett Grayson in the third round. If Brees’ difficulties with the deep ball continue, New Orleans will have to think long and hard about whether to commit more years to the aging passer.

Running back

Mark Ingram has gotten better every year, and the Saints rewarded the former first-round selection with a four-year, $16 million deal. He will be the workhorse, and free agent C.J. Spiller will try to fill the void left two years ago by do-it-all back Darren Sproles. New Orleans released Pierre Thomas, who was vital to the Saints’ screen game, and Spiller likely will be asked to take over that role.

Wide receiver

Against long odds, Marques Colston is still a Saint. The veteran reworked his deal to return for a 10th season in New Orleans. He’ll resume his role as a mismatch nightmare in the slot, working in tandem with diminutive speedster Brandin Cooks. The receiver was impressive in spots as a rookie last season before heading to injured reserve in November with a broken thumb. New Orleans would like one of its young receivers to develop into an outside threat, but the combination of Payton and Brees should be good enough to churn out a top-10 unit without a deep receiving corps.

Tight end

With Graham gone to Seattle, the Saints could turn to third-year pro Josh Hill. The undrafted free agent showed flashes of talent in 2014, catching 20 passes with three touchdowns, but expecting him or Benjamin Watson to fill the playmaking void created by Graham’s departure is unrealistic. Then again, this offense was a force well before Graham showed up in 2010.

Offensive line

It’s suddenly the deepest unit on the roster after New Orleans traded for Unger and drafted Peat. Payton has plenty of options for the configuration of the line, but the best bet is Peat starting at left guard with Strief and guard Jahri Evans manning the right side and Armstrong protecting Brees’ blind side.

Defensive line

If you are looking for the biggest factor in the defensive collapse in 2014, the line might be the pick. After finishing fourth in sacks (49) the season before, New Orleans fell to 25th (34). Junior Galette and Cameron Jordan regressed after breakout years, and Akiem Hicks has yet to evolve into the force many thought he would become. The Saints added much-needed depth to their stable of pass rushers by drafting Hau’oli Kikaha, who led the nation with 19 sacks in his final season at the University of Washington.

Linebacker

Coordinator Rob Ryan loves the nickel package, which means the Saints will play with two linebackers on the field for a majority of snaps. Anthony and David Hawthorne could start with Ellerbe playing in the base defense. Anthony was a tackling machine at Clemson, and he will be asked to play the same role in replacing Curtis Lofton.

Secondary

Hyped as one of the best secondaries in football before the 2014 season, the Saints finished 25th in pass defense. Big-money free agent Jairus Byrd was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 4. Fellow safety Kenny Vaccaro fell victim to the sophomore slump. And New Orleans could not find a reliable second cornerback to play alongside Keenan Lewis. The Saints will get Byrd back and added cornerbacks Browner and P.J. Williams, a third-round pick. With a bounce-back year from Vaccaro, this unit might be able to live up to its expectations.

Special teams

After a solid season, kicker Shayne Graham was released. He was fairly accurate in 2014, finishing 19-for-22 on field goal attempts, but was 4-for-7 from beyond 40 yards. Zach Hocker and Dustin Hopkins get first crack at the job in training camp. Former all-pro Thomas Morstead will return for a sixth year as the team’s punter and kickoff specialist. In Cooks and Jalen Saunders, New Orleans has returners with game-changing potential.

Coaching

Payton churns out elite offenses, and as long as Brees is playing at a high level, that won’t change. Ryan returns to run the defense for a third season, hoping to bring the unit back to its 2013 form, when it ranked fourth in yards and points allowed. Having Byrd healthy and more pass rushers should allow the fiery coordinator to be more creative.