The New Orleans Saints didn’t draft any tight ends during the 2023 NFL Draft, and there were some question marks on whether the Saints would pick up another tight end in free agency. New Orleans did just that as they were able to lock up Foster Moreau to a three-year deal. Moreau was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier in the year, but the expectations are that he is progressing in his recovery, which will allow him to play in 20223. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Moreau, and the Saints have agreed to terms on a three-year, $12 million deal, including $8 million guaranteed and $3 million in incentives. The Saints have stayed busy in the offseason, and there will be optimism surrounding this team heading into the new season.
Quite the comeback in the works: TE Foster Moreau and the #Saints have agreed to terms on a three-year, $12-million deal including $8 million guaranteed and $3 million in incentives, agent @JLSports3 told ESPN.
Moreau has a positive diagnosis on his Hodgkin’s Lymphoma recovery… pic.twitter.com/W6E3qqOg4f
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 10, 2023
Foster Moreau Reunites with Derek Carr:
Saints TE Foster Moreau (87) – Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Moreau spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders. The former LSU product was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Raiders. During his rookie season in 2019, Moreau hauled in 21 receptions for 174 yards and five touchdowns. Even with Darren Waller as the primary tight end, Moreau was able to be one of Derek Carr’s go-to targets when Las Vegas reached the end zone.
Moreau is coming off his best season in the NFL during the 2022 season, as he hauled in 33 receptions for 420 yards and two touchdowns. The New Orleans native would have set career highs in receptions and receiving yards in 2022. During his four-year career with Las Vegas, Moreau brought in 91 receptions for 1,107 yards and 12 touchdowns. The four-year tight end has shown that he can be more than a blocking tight end during his tenure in the NFL. He has become an every-down, dual-threat tight end that is able to take command of the offense.
He will now join his former teammate in New Orleans as the Saints will be looking to take charge of a winnable NFC South division. Carr and Moreau have built the chemistry between the two that it won’t take long for the dynamic duo to find the endzone. Bringing in Carr and Moreau is only the beginning of what the Saints have built in the offseason. New Orleans also added running back Jamaal Williams into the mix to complement Alvin Kamara.
The Saints Tight End Room is Shaping Out:
Saints TE Juwan Johnson (83) – Mark Alberti/Getty Images
During the 2023 NFL Draft, the Saints traded away tight end Adam Trautman to the Denver Broncos. The trade allowed the Saints to take Wake Forest wide receiver A.T. Perry to finish out their overall selections. Trautman heading to the AFC West opened up a spot on the depth chart that needed to be filled before the start of the 2023 season. New Orleans elected not to take a tight end in the draft and focused on signing one of their top prospects that were on their list.
Moreau joining the Saints elevates the tight end room to the next level as he will now join Juwan Johnson. Johnson signed a two-year contract extension earlier in the offseason that locked him up to stay with the Saints. Johnson is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign as he hauled in 42 receptions for 508 yards and seven touchdowns. The 26-year-old was a RedZone machine, and having Carr as the quarterback will only elevate that status.
Johnson will be the TE1 heading into the 2023 season, and Moreau will slide into the TE2 role. Other notable tight ends on the roster include Taysom Hill and Lucas Krull. Hill is lined up in multiple ways on the Saints’ offense and can provide a spark play whenever he has the ball in his hands.
