Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
Going into the offseason, the depth at linebacker for the New Orleans Saints looked like a concern. Behind starters Demario Davis and Pete Werner, the unit had no starters and very little regular season playing experience.
Despite that, it’s been one of the positions with the most impressive depth play throughout training camp.
Danny Stutsman
One of the fan-favorites at the position. The rookie has been a standout throughout camp. From his sound play in the run game to his coverage ability punctuated with a leaping red zone interception over the middle of the field, Stutsman has put together a very strong camp and has immediately raised the bar for linebacker depth in New Orleans.
Nephi Sewell
With two interceptions throughout camp, the core special teamer has shown that he can have an impact in defense. He’s already proven to be excellent against the run because of his identification abilities and feel for the game. Expanding his impact to coverage brings additional promise behind the starters.
D’Marco Jackson
The App State alum has had his strongest camp since entering the league. Much like Sewell, Jackson has been a core special teams player for the team for years. But now he’s shown a propensity to be a solid and reliable downhill hitter in run defense, making several stops throughout the last few weeks in practices.
Jaylan Ford
Ford’s camp started off quiet. So much so, that he was left off of our 53-man roster projection heading into the Saints’ West Coast practices. On Thursday, the team’s twelfth practice, he had his best day yet. Notching a quick close on a pass to the flats, a tackle for a loss in the run game and a red zone pass breakup, Ford showed up big just ahead of the opening preseason matchup where he should see a healthy amount of snaps.
