Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
Standup edge rushers and nose tackles have dominated the conversation surrounding the upcoming changes for the New Orleans Saints defense. Another big factor of his scheme that has come up as of late while talking to defensive players has been vision on the quarterback in coverage: zone coverage.
In order to better quantify what that means for the Saints, here’s a look at what the team has done since 2021 and comparing to new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s tendencies between 2021 and 2023 where he was calling defenses for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Man vs. Zone
From 2021 to 2024, the Saints ran man coverage more than any team aside from the New England Patriots with which they tied at 34.1%, per TruMedia. Meanwhile, their 60.6% zone coverage usage was third-least in the league.
During Staley’s tenure with the Chargers, the team ranked near the middle of the league in both, with a much heavier lean on zone coverage (67.3%) than man (25.1%).
Specific Coverages
One thing that you can expect is a decrease in Cover 2 and Cover 1 snaps. While the Saints ran both quite often, especially Cover 1, Staley’s Chargers ran each at a clip of 10% less. A similar dip could be expected for quarters, or Cover 4, coverage as well.
Meanwhile, big leaps can be expected in heavier zone coverages like Cover 3 and Cover 6, which asks defensive backs to play Cover 2 on one side of the field with one defender responsible for a deep half while two defenders cover the other half like in Cover 4.
Saints 2021-2024
Cover 3: 24.9% (No. 31)
Cover 6: 3.7% (No. 30)
Chargers 2021-2023
Cover 3: 32.2% (No. 23)
Cover 6: 18.8% (No. 1)
These numbers relate to the primary coverages of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 as well. A defense that complemented Saints head coach Kellen Moore’s offense all the way to a Super Bowl championship in 2024. While that won’t be the case for New Orleans in 2025 as they transition into their next era, it’s easy to understand why Staley was the easy pick for Moore as his defensive coordinator after spending a year with Vic Fangio (who worked with Staley in Denver) in Philadelphia.
