Saints Need to Take Care of Business in Their Own Backyard

Safety

Oct 5, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints free safety Rafael Bush (25) warms up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to kickoff of a game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints currently have two that are set to hit the open waters in free safety Rafael Bush and strong safety Jamarca Sanford.

Bush has been with the Saints since 2012 and in that time has done his job of playing behind Malcolm Jenkins and now Jarius Byrd.

While he may not wow you with his numbers, Bush has mainly played the role of a backup so I’m not really expecting to see him to put up Pro Bowl numbers and instead just play his role.

Hey — the guy has the same amount of interceptions and forced fumbles as Byrd does in his time with the Saints so there is that but who’s counting? Perhaps it can be said that “a Byrd in the hand isn’t always worth one in the Bush”, to borrow liberally from the old expression.

The Saints actually thought enough of Bush in 2014 to bring him back; after the Atlanta Falcons had tried to sign him to an offer and Bush ultimately inked a 2-year, $3.8 million deal to stay in New Orleans.

But after back to back seasons with serious injuries that landed him on injured reserve, will the team be willing to do it again?

Jan 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Saints strong safety Jamarca Sanford (33) celebrates his interception with defensive tackle Kevin Williams (93) in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Saints won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Sanford is a different story, and might be one that is more economical for the team after playing for a 1-year, $825,000 contract in 2015.

After being signed late in 2014 to help with injuries in the secondary, Sanford was a starter and then backup to Byrd as well as Kenny Vaccaro this past season.

His versatility at both safety positions and low salary cap, should entice the Saints to re-sign him for 2016.

In the final game against the Falcons this year, Sanford providing the game clinching interception which he said was from increased film study, so that should help his cause some.

If the Saints do want to move on from these two, then the talent options combined with the price range in free agency won’t be too kind to their pockets.

Next: Standing Guard