Pro Football Focus will be providing analysis for every major NFL signing and trade during the 2015 free-agency period, accounting primarily for the quality of the player and his fit with his new team, and focusing less on the financial terms of the deal.
Here is a grade for the deal between C.J. Spiller and the New Orleans Saints.
Grade articles on every major deal
New Orleans Saints: C
The Saints appear to be overhauling their offense this offseason, and Spiller is an intriguing pickup because of his outstanding 2012 performance. He ranked second that season among running backs in PFF overall grading, average yards per rush and average yards after contact, while leading the league by forcing a missed tackle on one out of every 3.9 rush attempts. His 94.6 elusive rating remains the highest regular-season rating in eight years of PFF data.
However, he has since been on the decline, not showing the same elusiveness, and injuries have been troublesome. He ranked 51st out of 55 running backs in PFF overall grading in 2013 and was injured most of last season. When he was on the field, he earned a negative-5.9 overall grade.
If the Saints are still looking to fill the Darren Sproles role in the offense, Spiller has shown the talent to do so if he can regain his 2012 form and stay healthy. But he is more than two years removed from his only season of great play, and Khiry Robinson has already proven to perform well during his limited snaps in the New Orleans offense.