7 teams that must make a trade before the deadline

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are coming off a cushy bye week to face the Seattle Seahawks for Monday Night Football, but the New Orleans team isn’t in an ideal situation after Breexit (that’s “Brees’ Exit”).

It’s not that Jameis Winston hasn’t been able to hold his own — he has, considering he’s following up the decades-long act of a future Hall of Fame — but that Winston has virtually nowhere to throw the ball.

This playoff-bound franchise found a sweet spot with Brees, Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara leading the offense, but it’s a whole different ballgame in 2021. While Thomas is finally eligible to play again after week son the PUP/Reserve List, it’s unlikely that he will be suiting up against Seattle. Thomas is still battling a lower leg injury and is likely weeks away from a return, according to Ian Rapoport.

Without Brees or Thomas, Kamara has converted into a more traditional running back role, and their receiver simply aren’t getting the ball. None of their receivers or tight ends break the top 125 in receptions, and top receiver Marquez Calloway was 13 catches… all season.

That’s something Cooper Kupp eats up in a week, and it’s something New Orleans will need if they want to carve out a Wild Card slot in the NFC.

Could Texans wideout Brandin Cooks reunite with the team that drafted him? Cooks has proven to be a popular trading chip in recent years, and he knows this organization and offense like few others do. It would be an easy add to make, but the Saints could also look eastward to rescue Marvin Jones Jr. out of Jacksonville.