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Saints may not be done making moves

The draft capital they parted with to bring Apple on board — a fourth-round pick next year and a final-round selection the following year — really isn't that valuable.

The New Orleans Saints made a big trade on Tuesday, bringing in New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple. The 23-year-old Apple is a former Ohio State teammate of Saints defensive backs Marshon Lattimore and Vonn Bell, and badly needed the change of scenery. It’s tough to come up with a bigger shift than moving from a reeling 1-6 Giants squad to a confident 5-1 Saints team.

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What are the ramifications of this move? Who does it affect, and what are the Saints going to do next?

What it doesn’t mean

That the Saints are finished adding talent. The draft capital they parted with to bring Apple on board — a fourth-round pick next year and a final-round selection the following year — really isn’t that valuable. For perspective, they’ve already cut this year’s fourth-rounder (offensive lineman Rick Leonard) and last year’s sixth-rounder (edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad). Those aren’t players who are likely to help the team.

Forecast: Does it matter that the Saints defense isn't very good

The CBS Sports report that started this entire frenzy listed the Saints as looking for upgrades at two positions: cornerback, which they got in Apple, and a “secondary receiving option.” The names listed in the report include wide receivers Amari Cooper (dealt to the Dallas Cowboys), Emmanuel Sanders and Larry Fitzgerald. New Orleans still has plenty of resources left to look for help, so a second shoe could drop this week.

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