Saints Bradley Roby will be a stud

By: Jake Rajala

The Houston Texans continue their Bill O’Brien-led rebuild as Houston trades CB Bradley Roby to the New Orleans Saints. Saints head coach Sean Payton has been adamant about adding a corner opposite elite playmaker Marshon Lattimore. Just prior to Week 1 kicking off, Payton has found his guy in former Broncos first-round pick Bradley Roby. 

The former Broncos Super Bowl-winning CB leaves a Texans squad that just announced that Tyrod Taylor and not Deshaun Watson would be starting at QB in Week 1. Nick Caserio, who is the Texans robot-like GM, stated that they would be taking it day by day with the very lethal dual-threat QB. It’s unclear if Watson will play in the near future, face a suspension for his off-field actions, or if trade looms ahead for the current Texans star QB. The one thing that is clear, however, is that the Texans are even less daunting than their 4-12 team in 2020. 

Roby is just one of the notable Texans MIA from the 2020 roster. J.J. Watt is no longer in the “lone star state”, Will Fuller is on Miami, Randall Cobb is back with Aaron Rodgers, and reliable center Nick Martin is in a Raiders uniform. The Texans, who are led out by first-year head coach David Culley, realistically could be in prime contention for a top draft pick come December. 

The team that received the latest Texans expendable has a far more positive outlook. Roby will be joining a Saints team that fields an elite defense, talented offense, HOF head coach but had one missing link. The missing ingredient was a talented, reliable CB playing across from former Ohio State Buckeye Lattimore. Janoris Jenkins (Jackrabbit), was the previous CB2 in Dennis Allen’s defense, but he departed to Tennessee in the 2021 free agency period. The Saints neglected to fill in the shoes of Jenkins in FA and throughout the rest of the offseason but finally decided that they needed an answer at the spot, which led to the shiny acquirement of Bradley Roby. 

Roby will be a productive member of the Saints secondary and massive beneficiary to his team’s overall winning chances, as they aim to make it back to the playoffs without future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. Roby was graded as the 24th best CB last season from Pro Football Focus. His 24th spot was impressively ahead of former Saints CB Jenkins, who came in at 27. Roby has been a stellar CB not just in 2020, but throughout his whole career. The 29-year-old Saints CB has registered 10 interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and four sacks in his seven-year professional football journey. 

The Saints will need to rely heavily on their secondary this season if they want to repeat as divisional champions in a division where 2021 Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady reigns. The Bucs are the national media favorites, but they have their hands full against the “in-house divisional Saints team” that mopped the floor against them in two out of three head-to-head matchups last season. Expect Roby to be unlocked in Dennis Allen’s scheme, as the new-look Saints strive to prove they are still a team to be reckoned with against TB12 and the rest of the league.