The pool of free agent offensive linemen got thinner this week when Connor Williams reached an agreement with the Seattle Seahawks, taking a versatile starter with real pro experience off the market. That's bad news for the New Orleans Saints, whose offensive line has struggled to find its footing through the first few weeks of training camp. The clock is ticking for them to upgrade their position of greatest weakness.

So who is left? That's what we're setting out to explore, along with the cases for and against signing each of them. A lot of Saints fans responded to news of free agent safety Justin Simmons visiting the team by asking why there aren't any good offensive linemen visiting instead, so we're taking stock of the market. These are the players available, not just the biggest names.

We aren't looking at guys who didn't play many snaps last year, who would only be competing with the second- or third-string offenses for the rest of the summer, who would not be seen as credible starters in a pinch. To be frank, the Saints have enough guys like that already. So our scope is limited to players who logged at least 33% of their team's snaps last season.

So with that in mind, let's look at the options:

Mason Cole

Cole was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers back in February. The 28-year-old snapped the ball on every play they ran last year and for most of 2022, and while the bulk of his pro experience has come from center he's also lined up at right guard (257 snaps) and left guard (149). But he had consistent issues with low snaps last season, and he allowed the most pressures (37) in the league among centers.

Why the Saints should sign him: The Minnesota Vikings traded for Cole when Klint Kubiak was their offensive coordinator, and he started seven games -- four at center, three at right guard. He knows the offense and he shouldn't be expensive.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: Cole has been a free agent since February. If the Saints thought he was a better option as a backup interior lineman, they would have signed him by now. Instead they're comfortable leaning on Lucas Patrick who could be their Week 1 starter at left guard.

D.J. Humphries

Humphries, 30, spent his entire nine-year career with the Arizona Cardinals before being released in March. He played 81% of their snaps last season, all at left tackle, and he's stayed on the left side ever since switching from right tackle after his rookie year. He suffered a complicated knee injury late in the season and had to delay ACL surgery until after his damaged MCL could heal enough for doctors to get to it.

Why the Saints should sign him: Humphries has a solid body of work, though he gave up the second-most sacks of his career (4) last season. If Taliese Fuaga struggles at left tackle he could be a credible backup plan while the rookie moves back to right tackle (sorry, Trevor Penning).

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: There's no guarantee that Humphries would be able to play if he joined the team today. Everyone heals differently, but Nephi Sewell had ACL surgery a month or two sooner than Humphries and he's only now beginning to get on the practice field. And he may be asking for starter money which the Saints could struggle to match.

Charles Leno Jr.

Leno is on the older side at 32, but he's also one of the most experienced left tackles available. He could make sense if the Saints aren't sold on Landon Young and Oli Udoh as viable alternatives to Fuaga on the left side. It's worth noting he drew 10 penalties last year. That tied with three other players to rank eighth-most among left tackles.

Why the Saints should sign him: Leno is a pro's pro and he can be trusted to start on the left side if the Saints need him to.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: Leno was released in March after suffering a season-ending calf injury in late Dec. 2023. It's unclear what his current condition is or if he's cleared to play.

Justin Pugh

Pugh, 33, is another older athlete. And while he hasn't retired, he has made it known that he's only really interested in re-signing with the same New York Giants team he played for last year, or another team he's suited up for in the past like the Cardinals. And he only wants to play left guard.

Why the Saints should sign him: Left guard is the least-settled position on the roster; Nick Saldiveri has missed a lot of time with injuries early in his career, and the Saints are still rotating players in that role. Pugh could settle it for them.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: Would Pugh even be interested in joining another new locker room? Probably not. He also allowed 8 sacks last year on just 473 snaps in pass protection.

Donovan Smith

Smith quietly passed the 10,000 mile marker last season (well, in other words, he's played 10,008 career snaps), his first year with the Kansas City Chiefs. The 31-year-old had been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2015. He's a two-time Super Bowl winner who could mentor the young blockers in New Orleans.

Why the Saints should sign him: Smith is a steady player who could start if the Saints need him to. Having someone in the film room who's "been there, done that" could do a lot for Fuaga and Penning. Even if he's declining, Smith has a higher baseline than many other players in New Orleans.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: Smith may not be a great fit in Klint Kubiak's scheme, which asks linemen to block in space and make a lot of plays on the move. He also allowed 53 pressures last year and was penalized 10 times.

Tyre Phillips

Phillips is only 27, but the Giants didn't re-sign him after watching him start nine games at right tackle last year. He might be better suited to being a backup, but he's also lined up at right guard (296 snaps), left tackle (65), and left guard (42) in his pro career which suggests he has some versatility.

Why the Saints should sign him: You can never have enough backups who can plug holes at multiple positions. Phillips wouldn't exactly have grounds to break the bank, either.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: Teams don't let young players walk for no reason. Phillips may not be able to hang in a starring role, but it's telling that the Giants didn't even consider bringing him back for training camp.

Mark Glowinski

Glowinski is another former Giants starter -- New York kind of showed everyone the door after another disastrous season. The 32-year-old was benched after a rough Week 1 outing at right guard, and though he returned to start a couple games there he also spent time at left guard as the coaching staff worked to find somewhere he could help.

Why the Saints should sign him: Glowinski has more extensive experience than most of the Saints' other backups (5,481 snaps at right guard, 1,435 on the left side). He could be a good resource for younger players like Saldiveri, Cesar Ruiz, and Kyle Hergel.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: The Saints have enough replacement-level linemen in camp already, and if they're looking for more they should be prioritizing younger athletes with more upside.

Phil Haynes

Haynes turns 29 in October and to this point he's spent his entire career with the Seattle Seahawks, lining up at both guard spots. He won the starting job at right tackle last year after returning on a one-year deal but his season ended with a toe injury in November. He wasn't retained by the new coaching staff this spring.

Why the Saints should sign him: Haynes might be a better fit than other free agents, from a schematic point of view, and he nailed the athletic benchmarks the Saints look for coming out of Wake Forest (he posted an impressive 9.26 Relative Athletic Score).

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: Haynes is another player inching closer to 30 who is coming off a serious injury. No one knew him better than Seattle, and they chose to go in a different direction.

Matt Feiler

Feiler has played a lot of snaps at left guard (3,779) as well as right tackle (1,599) in his career, and he shares an alma mater with Jahri Evans as products of Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania. The 32-year-old started six games at left guard for the Bucs last year but missed four games with a knee injury and didn't return to the starting lineup once healthy.

Why the Saints should sign him: As is the case with other players on this list, experience matters, and having a confidence voice in the room who's been there before can help younger pros.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: Feiler may not have much left in the tank, and it's debatable whether he'd be an upgrade for the Saints at either left guard or right tackle.

Connor McGovern

McGovern, 31, knows the coaching staff well. He was with the Denver Broncos at the same time as Klint Kubiak and Rick Dennison, and he was coached by John Benton the New York Jets for 2021 and 2022. He's excelled in zone-blocking concepts before. He's spent most of his career at center but he did have 969 snaps at right guard back in 2017 and 2018.

Why the Saints should sign him: McGovern is a good scheme fit with plenty of familiarity in the system. He's a solid veteran who should be affordable.

Why the Saints shouldn't sign him: The Saints appear to be set at center between Erik McCoy and Lucas Patrick, so you have to wonder how much McGovern would add to the roster. He's also on the wrong side of 30 and coming off a significant knee injury.

Other names to know

These linemen didn't meet our cutoff for snaps played, but they shouldn't be overlooked:

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: For/Against: Pros and cons of 10 free agent offensive linemen for the Saints