Dec 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) celebrates with teammates after blocking a field goal during the fourth quarter by New York Giants place kicker Graham Gano (not pictured) at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
With the Saints’ shift to a 3-4 defense, the defensive line is seeing a lot of adjustments. While most of the focus will go to the excitement of the standup edge rushers, there’s a lot that’s going to change on the defensive interior as well.
Instead of seeing two edge defenders and two interior lineman, New Orleans will now effectively deploy a trio of defensive tackles.
On the inside of the formation, the Saints are likely to often deploy three down linemen: two 3-4 ends and a nose tackle. New Orleans will vary its fronts so this won’t always be the formation, but it’s expected to be the dominant look the team shows.
Most interior defenders were retained from 2024, with a few key additions. Because of that, there have been a lot of questions surrounding how the roster personnel fits the team’s new scheme.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the Saints’ defensive tackles that can take on the nose tackle role, the 3-4 end role or play a versatile role that includes both. These are broken out based on size, but do keep in mind that size is not the only factor.
Nose Tackles:
Khalen Saunders
John Ridgeway III
Khristian Boyd
Omari Thomas
3-4 Ends:
Bryan Bresee
Jonah Williams
Nathan Shepherd
Versatile Linemen:
Davon Godchaux
Vernon Broughton
Versatility will be the name of the game for defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s defense. But when it comes to the prototypes necessary to man a 3-4 defense, the Saints look like they have the personnel necessary to get it done. The next factors will come down to the installation of the scheme and coaching.
