Third-year veteran Jermon Bushrod is doing a nice job filling in for the injured Jammal Brown at left tackle, but sources expect the Saints to push to re-sign Brown when he becomes a free agent this offseason. Brown, who will be a restricted free agent barring a breakthrough in Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, was placed on injured reserve before suiting up for a game following two surgeries. Bushrod has held his own in seven starts, but observers say he's not playing at Brown's level yet. There had been talk that Brown was overrated in recent years. However, sources say some in New Orleans have a new appreciation for him after watching the offensive line without him for the first extended period since he entered the league in 2005. With Bushrod developing, the Saints will avoid giving a long-term deal to Brown, but issuing him a high one-year tender is a good possibility.

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the second issue being released later this month. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.