Sean Payton wants Saints to keep Mark Ingram

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While attending a Pelicans vs. Mavericks game in Dallas with his son Monday, Sean Payton spoke with FOX Sports about the strategy to rebuild his Saints after a disappointing 2014 season.

"The trick is looking at the free agents available and sometimes there's players available now, who have been released, that aren't guys that we're waiting for Saturday," the coach said. "So we'll have a few players coming in even as early as this week.

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"But I think more important how the draft stacks up at certain position. I think specifically there will be a few defensive players we want to look at whether they come the first week of free agency or later on."

As far as the running back position is concerned, Payton hopes to keep Mark Ingram, the team's first round pick of the 2011 NFL Draft. New Orleans declined to pick up Ingram's fifth-year option that came with a $5 million price tag.

"I spoke with him today." Payton said of Ingram. "The good thing about Mark is that we're real close with his agent. We work a lot with Joel (Segal). Mickey (Loomis, the Saints' GM) will talk with him quite a bit. Obviously he's someone we want to keep. Hopefully we can do that."

Ingram, 25, rushed for a career-high 964 yards last season and is considered one of the top running backs set to hit the free-agent market.

Another focus for Payton is assuring his team's health entering next season. At the start of free agency last year, the Saints acquired safety Jairus Byrd on a six-year, $54 million deal. Although Byrd suffered a season-ending meniscus tear in his knee after just four games last season, Payton is confident that the safety is on pace for offseason workouts.

"He's doing well," Payton said. "His rehab's on schedule. He'll be cleared for minicamp. We're really looking at about two or three weeks away from him being 100 percent."

The Saints are about $28 million over the cap limit, a number that's far and away the worst in the NFL. 

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