Garrett Grayson: Age 25, scheduled to be exclusive rights free agent in 2019. 2017 salary and bonuses: $540,000. 2017 salary-cap number: $540,000.

Analysis

For the third year in a row, the Saints will take a long, hard look at all of the top QB prospects in this year’s draft — as they should.

As I said, they don’t have to force it. And I’m in the camp that believes Brees can still be a top-10 NFL quarterback for at least three more seasons if healthy, so the Saints shouldn’t rush to shove him out the door — especially if they can use valuable assets like a first-round draft pick on someone who can help them make a playoff push while Brees is still thriving.

In fact, I would be comfortable signing Brees to another two-year extension through 2020 at his current rate of $24.25 million per year.

However, I also realize that the perfect QB might only come around once a decade, if that. So New Orleans has definitely reached the window in Brees’ career where it should be on the lookout.

Ideally, the Saints would find their version of Dak Prescott in Round 4. But that’s like saying they should just go out and buy the winning Powerball ticket. The Saints took a shot when they drafted Grayson in Round 3 in 2015, but he hasn’t panned out yet — though he is determined to try to salvage his career this offseason.

I don’t know if Watson, Trubisky or Kizer will be enough to sway the Saints into using the No. 11 pick on a QB. All of them seem to come with disclaimers, and none is universally rated as a surefire top-10 pick among draft analysts. But quarterbacks always seem to scream up the charts and wind up going higher than initially projected by the time the draft rolls around. So the Saints might not even have a shot at Watson or Trubisky unless they trade up.

It seems even more unlikely that the Saints would get in on the Jimmy Garoppolo trade sweepstakes (if the New England Patriots are willing to trade him at all). Perhaps Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agent Mike Glennon could be considered, since Sean Payton has talked in the past about how much the Saints liked Glennon coming out in the draft.

At this point in Brees’ career, nothing can be ruled out.

Previous rankings:

No. 12 Specialists

No. 11 Wide receivers

No. 10 Tight ends

The big-hitting Brice, a highly touted undrafted rookie, gained valuable experience, mostly in the dime when Burnett moved up closer to the line of scrimmage in what was essentially an inside linebacker position — something new for Burnett in 2016.

Position outlook: The Packers will either pick up the fifth-year option on Clinton-Dix’s rookie contract or work out a long-term extension. Despite some occasional lapses in coverage, he is defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ best playmaking safety since Nick Collins.

If there’s someone Capers and McCarthy can build around on defense, it’s Clinton-Dix. He is arguably general manager Ted Thompson’s best first-round pick since Clay Matthews in 2009 or Aaron Rodgers in 2005.

Burnett signed a four-year, $24.75 million extension in 2013, and while he’s been solid, it’s worth questioning whether he’s worth an average salary ($6,187,500) that still ranks 13th among all NFL safeties more than three years later.

The big decision will be Hyde. He’s likely seeking a deal in excess of $4 million per season. The Packers will have to figure out whether they value his versatility and dependability enough to make that kind of an investment. If they don’t, surely another team will.

The potential of Brice and Evans, who played more on special teams than on defense, could be a reason the Packers pass on Hyde if that’s the price tag.

The Packers have plenty of work to do on defense, but not necessarily at this position; pass-rushers and cornerbacks are a much bigger priority on this side of the ball.

Level of need (low, medium or high): Low.

By the numbers

2,335: Combined snaps out of a possible 2,472 played this past season by Clinton-Dix (1,236) and Burnett (1,099), including playoffs.

Siemian had offseason surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder, an indication of the struggles up front. And a quarterback, especially a young one, without a run game creates a target-rich environment for opposing defenses.

“Everyone always wants to look at a quarterback and say you have to have this quarterback,” Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said. “I’m not taking anything away from the quarterback position. It is critical to have that guy, but you have to have the five guys up front playing as one and doing everything right … so that quarterback can sit back in the pocket and do what he can do.”

McCoy’s first call was to one of his former assistants with the San Diego Chargers — Jeff Davidson — to coach the offensive line. Davidson then wanted John Benton as the assistant line coach.

The combination of the two shows McCoy is leaning toward his approach in his last stint with the Broncos — he guided the offense for four seasons before taking over the Chargers in 2013. That included a run game that featured both a gap scheme at times, with more straight-ahead, one-on-one blocking, mixed with the zone scheme — the linemen move together to block defenders in specific areas. Davidson has used the gap scheme more; Benton is versed in the zone scheme, having been Kubiak’s offensive line coach for eight seasons with the Houston Texans.

“Jeff is a great gap-scheme, power-scooter guy, and John Benton was the best at the zone-blocking schemes, so having both of those guys should allow us to do both,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “When you’re doing both, you want linemen that are aggressive—quick laterals. So that won’t change whether there’s a zone-blocking scheme or a gap scheme. Same guys.”

Which leads to the expected depth-chart overhaul on the offensive line. Broncos executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway is expected to have north of $42 million worth of room against the salary cap for free agency. Team president/CEO Joe Ellis has said the Broncos are prepared to make a substantial investment “back into the team.” And they may have as many as 10 draft picks.

It’s all on the same to-do list, McCoy said, and no one will be exempt from the repairs.

“There [are] a number of things that, I think when you look at the offensive line, it’s not just them,” McCoy said. “It is everybody. That has got to be the emphasis with our whole entire team. We’ve all got to look at ourselves first, and we’ve all got to say, ‘OK, how are we going to get better? What really is good enough as an offense?’ We’re going to push the limit every day … I will say this, Jeff Davidson and John will make them play better, and they will play better next year.”

Landry Jones: He’s taken hundreds — no, thousands — of reps in that system. This qualifies him as perhaps the most equipped option out there. He recovered well from an uneven first two years on the job. The Steelers like the hard-working Jones. Overall, though, he doesn’t elicit a lot of confidence for the long term, so any re-signing would likely be on a bridge, two-to-three-year deal.

Josh McCown: He’s a good guy to have in a locker room. He acquitted himself well in Cleveland with toughness and he averaged 264 yards per game in eight starts in 2015. He could join the team on a reasonable one- to two-year deal.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick just finished a polarizing two seasons with the New York Jets, but he’s still less than two seasons removed from a 31-touchdown season. Fitzpatrick has a penchant for interceptions. Still, his backup quarterback resume is extensive.

Case Keenum: His two-season stint as a Rams starter unraveled in 2016, but the lack of playmakers around him was glaring. Keenum’s true identity is as a primary backup who can start a handful of games if the starter goes out.