Saints Rumors

2:59pm: Not so fast. Both players departed their New Orleans visits without deals in place. The Saints remain interested in the nine-year vet, but Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets other teams have emerged as potential options as well. It is unclear which teams are in on Barr, who could still end up with the Saints. For now, however, no agreement has been reached. Ditto Hunt, who is set for a Colts visit Wednesday.

11:17am: One day after news of their workouts was learned, both Kareem Hunt and Anthony Barr are set to head to New Orleans. The Saints are expected to sign both veterans pending a physical, reports ESPN’s Dianna Russini (Twitter link).

Barr met with the Saints yesterday, while Hunt’s visit was scheduled for today. To little surprise, the interest shown by the team has quickly resulted in agreements being reached. Neither player had generated much of a market for their services during the offseason, but they will now have plenty of time to acclimate to their new team.

Especially to begin the year, New Orleans will be shorthanded in the backfield. Alvin Kamara was issued a three-game suspension for his involvement in a violent altercation in February 2022, which will leave the Saints without the five-time Pro Bowler. Eno Benjamin, meanwhile, will not be available at any point this campaign after he suffered an Achilles tear.

Hunt will look to serve in a similar capacity to his Browns tenure during his Saints stint. The 28-year-old operated as a consistent pass-catching back while Nick Chubb handled much of the team’s carries. Hunt still logged 442 carries in his 49 games in Cleveland, though, averaging 4.2 yards per rush in the process. If needed, he could handle a notable workload in his new home.

The Browns looked likely to move Hunt at the trade deadline, but he instead needed to wait until August to join a new team. In addition to Kamara, though, New Orleans boasts free agent signing Jamaal Williams and third-round rookie Kendre Miller in its new-look backfield. It will be interesting to watch how Hunt fits in during Kamara’s absence and how much of a role he is able to carve out upon the latter’s return.

Barr, meanwhile, is set to be on the move for the second time in as many years. His eight-year Vikings tenure ended last offseason, and the former first-rounder played in Dallas in 2022. Barr saw his playing time cut significantly compared to most of his Minnesota campaigns, and his lowered production helped keep him on the market deep into the summer.

The Saints have a number of options at the linebacker spot as is, with Demario Davis in place as an anchor of the team’s defense. 2021 second-rounder Pete Werner saw a sizeable jump in playing time last season, and he can be expected to remain a full-time starter moving forward. Recent draftees Zack Baun and D’Marco Jackson (the latter of whom missed his entire rookie season due to injury) are also in the mix for significant snaps. Barr will look to prove himself to be at least a quality rotational member of the unit.

The Saints entered today with just under $13MM in cap space, which should be enough to comfortably afford Hunt and Barr on what will no doubt be short-term, low-cost deals. Both players will add considerable experience to what is already one of the most veteran-laden teams in the league as the they aim to rebuild their free agent stock in a new setting.

In the wake of being shorthanded in the backfield, the Saints could soon be making a running back addition. Kareem Hunt is set to meet with New Orleans, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). His colleague Diana Russini tweets that veteran linebacker Anthony Barr will also work out with the team.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes that the Hunt visit will take place on Tuesday (Twitter link). That summit could result in a deal for the recently-turned 28-year-old, who has remained one of the top backs on the open market throughout the offseason. New Orleans will be without Alvin Kamara for the first three weeks of the campaign due to suspension, and Eno Benjamin recently suffered an Achilles tear. As a result, a vacancy exists in the team’s backfield.

The Saints already have a veteran presence in the form of Jamaal Williams, along with third-round rookie Kendre Miller as fill-in options for Kamara while he is sidelined and depth when he returns. That would leave Hunt in a rotational role after Week 4 in particular if he were to sign in New Orleans, something he experienced during his time in Cleveland. Hunt saw a career-low 42% snap share last season while serving as Nick Chubb‘s pass-catching backup, and by the end of the season it was clear he would be heading elsewhere in free agency.

Hunt was mentioned in trade talk leading up to the deadline, but the Browns elected to retain him to close out his fourth season in Cleveland. The former Chiefs third-rounder has not received as much attention as the likes of Dalvin Cook or Ezekiel Elliott from potential suitors, but he has remained confident a deal will come to fruition. Hunt, like most remaining backs, is likely facing a low-cost deal which will allow him boost his market in a new environment.

Like many Vikings veterans this offseason, Barr saw a lengthy Minnesota tenure come to an end last year. The four-time Pro Bowler spent the 2022 campaign in Dallas, but the Cowboys made it clear in March that he would not be retained. Barr posted 58 tackles and one sack across 14 games last year, numbers which fall short of his production during his peak Vikings seasons.

Barr, 31, would provide experienced depth to a Saints’ linebacking corps which is set to once again be led by Demario Davis. The former only logged a 63% snap share in Dallas last season, by far the lowest of any of his healthy campaigns in the league. Like Hunt, he could be at least a rotational contributor with a veteran-laden team seeking to return to the postseason. Strong seasons from Hunt and Barr, should they join the Saints, could benefit both player and team on low-cost, short-term agreements.