NFL Nation

          Saints offense will miss Benjamin Watson, but should still thrive

          NEW ORLEANS -- Losing Benjamin Watson to the Baltimore Ravens is a little surprising and a lot disappointing, since he proved to be such a tremendous fit with the New Orleans Saints over the past three years.

          But it doesn't have to be devastating.

          After all, Watson himself proved last year that the Saints' offense could keep thriving without elite talent at tight end. After the Saints traded away Jimmy Graham, Watson posted career highs of 74 catches, 825 yards and six touchdowns, despite turning 35 in December.

          Now, Watson has agreed to join the Ravens, a source told ESPN. The move can’t be made official until 4 p.m. ET Wednesday when the new league year begins.

          Depending on how much the Saints want to invest at tight end in free agency, they could potentially even upgrade, with several intriguing midlevel options available (including the San Diego Chargers’ Ladarius Green, the Chicago Bears’ Zach Miller and the Indianapolis Colts’ Coby Fleener).

          The Saints’ offense is so friendly for tight ends that any newcomer they bring in should be expected to outperform his past levels. If they do bring in one of those guys I mentioned above, pencil him in as a popular fantasy breakout candidate.

          Or the Saints could just try to get by with average talent at tight end and continue to invest more heavily in bigger areas of need, like the defense and offensive guard.

          The Saints agreed to bring back veteran backup tight end Michael Hoomanawanui on Tuesday and will likely retain restricted free agent Josh Hill -- two guys capable of doing a bit more than they did last year as both blockers and pass-catchers.

          I hate to suggest that the Saints' offense will be "just fine" without Watson and recently released veteran receiver Marques Colston. Those two vets are especially well-respected inside the locker room. And the Saints will obviously have to find new guys who can step up, make clutch catches and work the seams and the red zone like those guys have done.

          But time and again, the Saints have proven they can field one of the NFL's most efficient passing offenses, even as the pass-catchers change from year to year.

          Where Watson might be missed even more is off the field.

          Although he was only in New Orleans for three years, he quickly made an impact as a friend and mentor to his teammates. One of them joked in the past that Watson needed to keep a separate phone as a “hotline” for teammates seeking advice. He was elected a captain for the first time in his 12-year career last year, and he was named one of three finalists for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award after becoming a national voice on the subject of race in society.

          Case in point -- the reaction from third-year defensive end Kasim Edebali on Twitter after news broke Tuesday that Watson was leaving:

          The Saints have now lost Watson, Colston and guard Jahri Evans this offseason -- which is no small thing, considering how much respect that trio had accrued over the years.

          I still tend to believe that the Saints’ offense has good veteran leadership, starting with quarterback Drew Brees and including others like longtime offensive tackle Zach Strief and emerging leaders like Mark Ingram, Brandin Cooks, Max Unger and Terron Armstead.

          But the Saints learned firsthand in 2014 just how hard it is to replace longtime leaders when they suffered more than expected from releasing Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Roman Harper, Malcolm Jenkins and Jabari Greer all at once.

          Character and culture became a huge focus for the Saints last offseason, which included a significant roster overhaul -- and they were mostly pleased with the returns. But now that they’re losing guys like Watson, Colston and Evans, they need to keep harping on it more than ever.