Free agency opens in the NFL this week with a mixture of hope and trepidation for fan bases.
An NFL team can send itself to the Super Bowl by bringing in the right free agents — the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots both put themselves over the top the past two years with big investments in free-agent defenders. By the same token, a team can sacrifice precious cap room for underwhelming returns and suffer the disappointment the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts felt this season.
New Orleans has been on both sides.
Free agents like Drew Brees, Scott Fujita and Jabari Greer helped formed the nucleus of a Super Bowl champion.