Free agency is a time where franchises find short or long term answers to problems they will face next season. For a team like the New Orleans Saints, who had a fantastic year last season, the franchise needed to fill some holes to make another run at another Lombardi trophy.

Below are three great signings the Saints have invested in so far this offseason who should make immediate impacts:

Malcom Brown | Defensive Tackle | 3-years/$15 million

The Hole

Injuries can interrupt the chemistry of any team in any sport. Just look at a team like the Green Bay Packers. Quarterback is one of the most scrutinized and analyzed positions on the field. However, the Packers have an all-time great in Aaron Rodgers.

However, throughout his career, Rodgers has fell victim to broken clavicles, knee and leg sprains and some concussions that have caused him to miss his fair share of games. Unfortunately, for the Packers, if Rodgers is not on the field, the offense tends to struggle as a whole.

During the divisional round of the playoffs, the Saints had a showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, during the first quarter, DT Sheldon Rankins went down with an injury that was later determined to be a torn Achilles. With this in mind, general manager Mickey Loomis went out and signed former New England Patriot Malcom Brown.

The Fill

Brown had a down season in 2018 for the Patriots. He amassed just ten total QB pressures and could not bring the QB down at all. On top of that, Brown’s defensive grades took a nose dive as well. There is still reason for hope. Brown took fewer snaps last season than in any of his previous years with the Patriots. It stands to reason that Brown had fewer opportunities this past season to garner the stats people had been seeing.

Brown is in the driver’s seat for a starting role when Week one rolls around. Rankins should still be recovering from his torn Achilles, and fellow DT David Onyemata could be facing suspension due to a marijuana possession charge. Brown has taken the QB down 9.5 times throughout his career. However, with a skilled pass rusher like Cameron Jordan on the roster, the New Orleans Saints needs Brown to be the dominant run defender he has shown in years past.

Latavius Murray | Running Back | 4-years/$14.4 million

The Hole

Usually, you would not normally see a backup running back as an important signing. Then again, the Saints are not your ordinary team. During the past two seasons, New Orleans has been able to reap the rewards of one of the most deadly running back duos in NFL history. Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara were the first pair of RBs to both have 1,500 yards from scrimmage.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The Saints made this very clear when they signed former Minnesota Viking Latavius Murray before Ingram had even signed a contract.

The Fill

The reason the pair of Ingram and Kamara played so well was their complementing styles of play. Ingram, a former Heisman winner from the University of Alabama, is a power runner, seeing no line he can’t break through. On the other hand, Kamara, drafted out of the University of Tennessee, is a change of pace back who excels with speed and elusiveness while also having fantastic hands as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Kamara is a part of the New Orleans Saints long-term plans, as he should be, so the franchise found it’s replacement for Ingram in Murray. Murray played the same role of the No. 2 guy in Minnesota behind Dalvin Cook. However, Cook missed a majority of his first two seasons due to injury. This put Murray in the spotlight much more than anyone had anticipated. Anyone who watched the Vikings last season could see the uphill battle Murray fought in regards to the skill of his offensive line.

Murray is a force to be reckoned with inside the red zone, especially within the 10-yard line. In the past three seasons, Murray has run it into the endzone 26 times in this area. While he hasn’t performed as well yardage wise, 2015 being his only 1,000-yard season, the Saints do not need that from him with Kamara being the lead back.

Jared Cook | Tight End | 2-years/$15 million

The Hole

Tight end is a very peculiar position. The football gods bless some teams with superb TE play. The Patriots with Rob Gronkowski or the Kansas City Chiefs with Travis Kelce have had years of absurdity at TE. The Saints used to have one of the most fearsome QB to TE duos in Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham. However, since trading Graham in 2015, the Saints have not had a game-changing TE.

Over the past four seasons, the Saints have gotten by filling the hole with a whole host of players: Josh Hill, Benjamin Watson, Coby Fleener, and Michael Hoomanawaui to name a few. With Watson’s departure, and subsequent return to the Patriots, the Saints needed to find a new TE. Everyone knows how dangerous Brees can be with a quality tight end and the franchise found a contender in Jared Cook from the Oakland Raiders.

The Fill

Jared Cook has been a reliable and consistent tight end for most of his career. Averaging 12.9 yards per catch throughout his career, Cook is a threat in the intermediate area of the field. Last year in Oakland, Cook was able to find the endzone six times while also catching 68 passes for just under 900 yards.

He is also a first down machine getting past the stick 81 times in his two years in Oakland. Furthermore, he has moved the chains 282 times throughout his ten-year career. His hands have steadied over the past couple years with QBs posting a 90 QBR or better when targeting him the past three years.

Brees will also give Cook the best QB to throw him a pass beside his lone year in Green Bay. During his career, Cook got to play just four seasons without his QB missing more than two games.

When Brees has weapons, the New Orleans Saints offense proves to be a mighty juggernaut. With Cook heading down to the Big Easy, this should only enhance the possibilities of the offense.