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An Overview of the New Orleans Saints Defense
The Saints were not the worst defense in the NFC South in 2024, but there is plenty of room for improvement. They were horrible versus the run, bad against the pass, low in the sack rankings, didn't create enough turnovers, yadda, yadda, yadda. None of that matters because instead of tweaking things, the organization elected to blow the whole thing up and start over.
Head coach Dennis Allen was relieved of his duties mid-season. Once the final game was in the books, the rest of the coaching staff followed. Kellen Moore was hired to run the show, with Brandon Staley coming aboard as defensive coordinator. Staley has a strong resume that includes a head coaching gig with the Chargers from 2021 to 2023. More importantly, he has run some tight defenses in recent years. The head coaching job came after his Rams led the league in total defense, allowing 282 net yards per game in 2020. Staley spent last year with San Francisco, where he helped mold the 49ers into a top-ten defense.
The hiring of Staley breeds a lot of optimism into the Saints, but there is a lot of work to do. Most notably, he brings a complete scheme change. After running an even front (4-3) for many years, New Orleans will roll out a new-look 3-4 in 2025. If this goes like 90% of these major shifts do, there will be an adjustment period of a year or two while everyone learns their new responsibilities and the roster is reshaped with players that fit the new scheme. On paper, it looks like this could be a long transition since the inherited roster was hardly teeming with scheme-versatile players.
New Orleans Saints Defensive Linemen
The most glaring question for the new system is on the edge. Most of the elite 3-4 edge guys check in at 250 pounds or under. Their success comes from a combination of speed, agility, and the ability to keep blockers from getting their hands on them as they slip around the corner. Edge defenders in four-man fronts are generally a little bigger. They expect contact on every snap, often initiating it to set up moves. They are generally more physical at the point of attack, but not as fast.
Carl Granderson and Chase Young were the starters under the previous regime. They are both north of 260 pounds and are used to playing from a three-point stance. Much of the Saints' defensive success this year will depend on how well these two transition.
Granderson is a great story. He made the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019. His role was marginal as he developed, until 2022, when he split time almost equally with Marcus Davenport. Granderson outshone the former first-round pick and took over the starting role in 2023. In his first full season as a three-down edge, Granderson impressed both on the field and in the box scores. At 44-35-8.5 with a couple of forced turnovers, he made the top ten. That production had us going into 2024 thinking a star had been born. By the end of the year, it looked more like Granderson had been a shooting star. Instead of taking the next step, his tackle totals slumped to 36-25 and his sacks to 5.5. Now we find ourselves going into 2025 wondering if he will be a square peg in a round hole.
The storyline is much different for Chase Young, but the trajectory is very similar. He entered the league as the second overall pick by Washington in 2020. A solid rookie season was followed by injuries that derailed his 2021 and 2022 seasons. Young bounced back with a good 2023, which in turn earned him a nice paycheck when he signed with the Saints last offseason. Young turned in his best numbers since his rookie campaign, but at 21-10-5.5 with a forced fumble, they were well short of the expectations that come with being a former second overall pick, or the paycheck he received, for that matter. Like Granderson, Young has never worked in a 3-4 or played from a two-point stance. The whole situation leaves me pessimistic about both players.
The Saints desperately need Granderson and Young to step up and remain healthy because they have very little experienced depth. Cameron Jordan could give the team a few snaps on the edge, but he is a better fit at the outside tackle spot, where he is expected to start. The Saints' best options are seventh-round rookie Fadil Diggs and former Chargers fourth-rounder Chris Rumph II, who washed out in Los Angeles. At least both of those guys have a more suitable skill set for the new defense.
There are questions about fit at the edge positions, but New Orleans should be set on the inside. Jordan has been with the Saints since 2011 and was highly successful when the team ran three-man fronts in the past. The only question with him is, at age 36, how much does he have left? It's doubtful that he will play any more than the 565 snaps he participated in last season, especially if there are several solid options to rotate.
Davin Godchaux comes over from New England, where he played in multiple fronts. He is penciled in as the starter at nose tackle. Nathan Shepherd sits behind Godchaux on the depth chart. He to has 3-4 experience from his time with the Jets.
Veteran Khalen Saunders, 2023 first-round selection Bryan Bresee, and rookie third-rounder Vernon Broughton all figure to have rotational roles at the outside tackle spots. Bresee has been a disappointment to date. The 3-4 might be a better fit and could bring out the best in him. Broughton has the advantage of being drafted by the current regime, specifically because they believe him to be a good fit. We could get useful production from one of these guys. Picking the right one is a bit of a crap shoot. If forced to choose, I would roll with Bresee because he has the most upside.
- DE Carl Granderson – Depth with borderline second starter upside
- DE Chase Young – Depth with marginal upside
- DE Isaiah Foskey – Injury sleeper at best
- DE Fadil Diggs – developmental rookie
- DE Jonah Williams – No impact
- DT Cameron Jordan – Marginal impact anticipated
- DT Nathan Shepherd – No impact
- DT Bryan Bresee – Watchlist sleeper
- DT Khalen Saunders – Marginal impact
- DT Vernon Broughton – Developmental rookie who could see rotational snaps early