Juwan Johnson had a good season, but even that wasn't enough to hide the issues in that room.
The New Orleans Saints have some big work to get done this offseason to fix the offense. With QB Tyler Shough playing really well last season, some of the issues have been made to look a bit better, but that doesn't mean the Saints can just go into next season without upgrades. It's very dangerous to do that, especially with their QB going into his second season.
Many of the go-to positions for people, including myself, are WR, RB, and Interior OL. This makes sense because of the major weaknesses seen in these position groups throughout the season, but TE must also be brought up in that conversation.
After signing Juwan Johnson to a three-year, $30 million contract, many fans believed this was a wrong move. This was understandable due to Johnson's lack of consistency throughout his career and age, but at least for one season, it worked out. Yes, the consistency issues persisted, but Johnson had a really great season and became a top weapon in the offense.
The major issues came from the depth, or the lack thereof.
The TE Depth Issue
Entering the season, the Saints had Johnson, Foster Moreau, Jack Stoll, and Moliki Matavao. These were the four main TEs who played throughout the season for the Saints, but aside from Johnson, there was a lack of talent. The blocking was great, and that was really why some of the TEs are on the roster, but Johnson was clearly the best receiving threat, and by a large margin.
Blocking is very important from TEs, and it should be valued highly by the Saints coaches, but missing that receiving threat could either signal what's coming or just stall the offense when that TE is on the field.
If the Saints want to improve their offense as a whole, finding a great TE2 can allow Kellen Moore's offense to use multiple TEs and even hide the need for another WR if that is not fixed during the offseason.
Looking at free agency and the NFL Draft, the Saints have some great options to choose from for their TE2 spot. In Free agency, Noah Fant, Dallas Goedert, and Cade Otton make sense for the Saints. My favorite option would be Otton due to his age (26), and he has already played well on his previous team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also, he should not be too expensive for the Saints to sign.