New Orleans Saints should heavily pursue Emmanuel Sanders trade

The New Orleans Saints don’t need much during the NFL Trade Deadline but could absolutely use some receiving help once Drew Brees returns.

The New Orleans Saints enter Week 7 with a 5-1 record with three wins over playoff teams from last season, two of which (and four overall) have come with the backup quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, under center.

With such positive results despite losing Drew Brees, it is safe to say that the Saints have proven that they are the most talented team in the NFC. Things can change down the stretch but they absolutely deserve the honor thus far.

Because of that, the Saints really do not need much at the trade deadline. The need for making a trade is reduced even more by the fact that the defense has been playing very stout since Brees has been out.

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The defense was viewed as the weaker side of the ball entering the year and has been the reason for the Saints’ wins thus far.

There is one position that New Orleans could add at the deadline: wide receiver. And if the team is going to make any move, it should be for Denver Broncos’ wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Sanders is one of the more popular names circling in the NFL trade rumors but there have not been any concrete reports that the Saints are interested, although they should be. The team is thin behind Michael Thomas and Sanders could be that perfect icing the cake to make Brees even more lethal than he already is.

What makes Sanders so appealing is his value on the trade market. He is in the last year of his contract and has not been thriving much this season with Joe Flacco as his quarterback. He has not been bad, but he has only 367 receiving yards with two touchdowns in seven games.

With the Saints only getting half a season of Sanders, it is hard to imagine the Broncos getting anything more than a fourth-round and future seventh-round pick for Sanders. It might not seem like much for Denver, but it is better to get something for half a season of Sanders rather than nothing.

That is a price that is perfect for New Orleans. We recently penned that the team would not be active at the deadline if it included trading the third-round pick, as they already don’t have their second.

However, with a first and third, the Saints could afford to trade the fourth and still draft two impact players, or even an impact player and a quarterback heir to the throne.

Sanders would fit the offense perfectly as the second receiver. He was on pace for 1,000 receiving yards if he would have played all 16 games last season. His production has been hindered by a terrible quarterback rotation in Denver, even dating back to Peyton Manning‘s last season.

Getting him in an offense where he won’t be the sole focus for the secondary while he also gets Brees as his quarterback will make him look more like his 2014 self, where he had 1,404 receiving yards on the season.

At the end of the day, the New Orleans Saints’ receiving corps is dangerously thin and if Michael Thomas ever goes out then the team would be screwed. Adding a legitimate second receiver does nothing but help the team in their quest for the Super Bowl.