By Ross Jackson
While many were expecting a move on one side of the line of scrimmage, the New Orleans Saints pulled off a trade on the other
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints landed defensive tackle John Ridgeway from the Washington Commanders. While the move does not help the team’s offensive line, it is still a position that needed some attention.
Rookie defensive tackle Khristian Boyd was in line for a big role with starting interior defender Khalen Saunders expected to miss time with a calf injury. Boyd was looking at stepping into the primary run-stopping role with Saunders sidelined, but now, in Ridgeway, he will have someone to split that responsibility with.
The former Arkansas Razorback is a high motor player that has drawn a lot of praise for his effort on the field. David Harrison, Washington Commanders expert and host of the Locked On Commanders podcast, highlighted the defensive tackle’s ability to contribute just about anywhere.
“(The Saints) are getting a guy who is good at everything you ask him to do,” Harrison said. “Not bad at anything you ask him to do. But he’s also not great at any one thing. I think the best skills set that he has is being a really big dude on the interior of the defensive line. A great run-stopper. I think he does have a little bit of underrated pass rush ability.”
The 6-foot-5, 321 lbs. former offensive lineman was drafted No. 178 overall in the 2021 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Owner Jerry Jones championed the selection as a “unique” one because of the team’s traditional lean toward smaller, quicker defensive tackles. But he saw the selection of Ridgeway as a commitment to stopping the run, the same area where the Saints would like to see some improvement from their defense after finishing No. 22 in the NFL last year.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters commented on the trade Wednesday. He mentioned that Ridgeway put “some of his best tape” out for teams to see in the club’s final preseason matchup. He also acknowledged that the trade to New Orleans would put the defensive tackle in a system that may be a better fit. Peters also said that there was a lot of interest in Ridgeway, so the Saints were not the only team calling about him.
The big-bodied defender appeared in just 18 defensive snaps in the Commanders’ preseason finale. Despite his limited snaps he added one pressure and three tackles, all of which Pro Football Focus (PFF) charted as run stops. The active run defender put his best foot forward in his final chance to get tape out to every NFL club, and it worked out for him.
The Saints, who have often been criticized for being on the losing side of trades, look to have balanced this one well. They sent a 2025 sixth round selection to the Commanders for Ridgeway and a 2025 seventh rounder. Meaning that for a one round pick swap, the Saints addressed a need that head coach Dennis Allen said they were looking to address notwithstanding Saunders’s injury.
“I’m sure (Saunders’s injury is) probably some of it,” Allen said when asked about the trade relative to the injury news. “And yet, we were going to need to add another defensive tackle anyway. Whether it be on the practice squad or the active roster, whatever the case may be.”
This move looks to tackle both of those possibilities. The trade brought Ridgeway to the team’s active roster and allowed them to move veteran defensive tackle Kendal Vickers to the practice squad. Vickers was originally named to the initial 53-man roster.
As for why the Saints prioritized Ridgeway and made the move for him, Allen gave those reasons.
“He’s a young guys that we kind of liked in the draft process. And so I think if you’re able to add a guy like that, defensive tackles don’t grow on trees. There’s not a lot of 6’4″, 6’5″, 325-pound human beings walking the earth. And so, when you find one that you think’s got some athleticism and some power… Bringing somebody like that into the fold, I don’t know that you can ever have enough of those type players.”
Ridgeway sees himself as a disruptive and violent player as well as just a big guy. He has shown a high level of confidence in his interviews. Including one he did on his draft night where he made it clear that he is not coming to the league with any intent to fail.
“Definitely I’m going to try to break someone’s neck when I get out there,” he told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “But if I can’t, I’m just going to tackle someone really hard and try to make a play. Make the crowd go crazy.”
While breaking someone’s neck is clearly hyperbole, Ridgeway does play with a mean streak. Even though that play did not lead to him staying in Dallas, it did not take long for him to find his next home in the nation’s capital. He would go on to appear in 32 of 34 possible games with the Commanders where he piled on 29 run stops and 12 pressures in that time, per PFF. He has also added 55 combined tackles.
The rotational role Ridgeway will be asked to play in New Orleans is likely to provide him even more opportunities. On average, he appeared in just under 20 snaps per game in Washington. Last year, Saints’ rotational nose tackle Malcolm Roach averaged just over 24 snaps per game in the 12 contests in which he appeared. Considering that Ridgeway will be splitting time at nose with a rookie in Boyd, that number could increase on a per game basis early in the season.
After the Saints’ final training camp practice, Saunders spoke with the local media. He emphasized two things. The first of which was versatility on the defensive line.
“I’m pretty sure everyone on the interior can play both nose and three-tech,” he said. “And then everybody on the edge can play both sides.”
Ridgeway fits that mold. Per PFF, he played both nose tackle (lining up over the center) and three-tech (lining up between the guard and tackle) in each of his two NFL seasons.
The second point that Saunders emphasized was the notion of drop-off. Or more appropriately, he emphasized a need to eliminate it.
“It should be even throughout,” he said. “There should be no drop off when the ones or two or three or anybody comes into the game.”
New Orleans would like to see that notion realized while Saunders recovers from his injury. In particular, they would benefit most from this in their efforts to improve their run defense.
The Saints’ passing defense has continued to be its strength. This offseason, the team has made a concerted effort to rebuild its pass rush and run defense, starting with the front seven. The free agency acquisitions of defensive end Chase Young and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. have looked to be excellent investments over the course of training camp. The team then drafted Boyd and has now traded for Ridgeway. New Orleans has shown a clear focus that they will need to see pay off in 2024.
Trading for a rotation defensive tackle is not enough to change your defensive presence. There is no reason to blow that out of proportion. However, this move, in concert with the others they have made this summer, shows a clear focus and bring potential to the pass rush and run stopping phases of an already outstanding defense. Ridgeway will not have to blow anyone away or even be great at any one thing. If he can do as Harrison mentioned and simply be good at everything he is asked to do in a system that the Commanders staff believes will suit him better, then the Saints will walk away as winners for having made this move.
