METAIRIE, La. -- I have never been too critical of the New Orleans Saints' decision to live on the salary-cap edge over the past several years, spending aggressively to win while quarterback Drew Brees is still in his prime.
However, general manager Mickey Loomis has said that being that close to the cap means your "margin for error is decreased" and "you can't afford to make many mistakes."
Well, the Saints' mistakes are catching up to them.
They spent big on two new players this offseason -- cornerback Brandon Browner (three years, $15 million) and running back C.J. Spiller (four years, $16 million). Neither has panned out.
Browner is a full-time starter, but he has struggled mightily at times and leads the NFL with 21 penalties.
Spiller, meanwhile, has barely seen the field. He is averaging 13.5 snaps and 5.5 touches per game, with a total of four touches over the past two weeks.
Both situations have been head-scratchers. Coach Sean Payton talks all the time about having a "vision" for a player. And these two visions seemed crystal clear. The big, physical Browner seemed ideally suited to jam bigger receivers at the line of scrimmage with help behind him when needed. Spiller seemed ideally suited to catch 70-plus passes like previous Saints rusher-receivers Darren Sproles, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas.
Instead, and due in part to the Saints' injury-depleted secondary, Browner has been caught in too many mismatches down the field in single coverage. In both losses to Carolina, Browner got beat deep by speedy wideout Ted Ginn Jr., which is hardly the ideal matchup for Browner's size and speed. There have been far too many instances where Browner is either getting run past, or he's getting flagged for trying to prevent it.
And Spiller just plain isn't being used. Payton has explained that the Saints trust running back Mark Ingram more in pass protection. But it's still hard to understand why the Saints can't find some role that suits Spiller after they were so excited about adding him. Perhaps the 28-year-old has lacked the explosion the Saints expected, especially coming off of minor knee surgery during the preseason -- though neither Payton nor Spiller has suggested that.
The Saints would be wise to figure out a role that suits each of these veterans next year, because it doesn't make much financial sense to cut them at this point.
Browner's $2.75 million salary for 2016 is fully guaranteed. The Saints could save up to $2.25 million in potential roster bonuses if they let him go by March. But Browner would still be on the books for $5.35 million in dead money.
Spiller's $1.55 million roster bonus is fully guaranteed next year. The Saints would save only his $1.7 million base salary if they were to cut him before that also becomes fully guaranteed in March. Spiller also would count for $5.3 million in dead money.
The Saints (4-8) have fared better this year with the two high-priced veterans they acquired via trades: center Max Unger and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, though Ellerbe's season has been marred by injury. And they have fared much better with homegrown players they re-signed to lucrative extensions: Ingram, who is quietly having a career year, and defensive end Cameron Jordan, who has remained one of the team's top assets.
All told, the Saints actually have made out better than they did in 2014, when they struck out with everything from free-agent signings to extensions to most of the draft class.
The Saints signed safety Jairus Byrd to a six-year, $54 million contract in 2014, but it hasn't come close to paying off yet, largely because of injuries. At least there is a glimmer of hope that Byrd can still be an asset now that he has been healthy for more than two months. That's more than can be said for tight end Jimmy Graham and outside linebacker Junior Galette, who signed lofty extensions last year before the Saints cut ties with them this offseason, trading Graham to Seattle and cutting Galette outright because of his off-field issues.
That's why the Saints led the NFL with $33.3 million in dead money counting against their cap this year, and they're already on the books for $14.8 million more in 2016, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
That's not living on the salary-cap edge. That's falling over it.