Saints’ defense bracing for heavier offenses in 2026

By Ross Jackson

The growing trend of bigger and more physical offenses around the NFL is a shift that the New Orleans Saints offense appears to have to talent to replicate. But on the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s system will have to be preparing to match up against the league’s newest wave.

Looking back at the team’s performance last year against the most popular multiple tight end personnel sets (12 and 13 personnel), it’s not hard to see where the team is already prepared to stand up against heavier offensive personnel groupings.

Volume Stats Can Deceive

In terms of volume stats, the Saints were one of the teams that both saw the most action against these groupings and allowed the most yardages in the process.

In 2025, the Saints matched up against 12 and 13 personnel groupings on 327 snaps, the seventh-most across the league.

They ranked No. 8 in most yards surrendered against those looks with 1,579 yards allowed. On average, the team gave up 45.8 rushing yards per game (No. 8) and 47.1 passing yards per game No. 16). Taking those numbers with a grain of salt may suggest that the Saints have a lot of work to do going into 2026 when it comes to defending against these heavier packages.

However, context provides a bit more clarity and optimism. 

A More Detailed Look

On a per-rush basis, against these run-heavy personnel looks, the Saints surrendered just 3.7 rushing yards per carry. That ranked the Saints T-No. 11 across the NFL. They were tied with teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, at least two of which were recognized in 2025 as having strong defensive units.

Much like the Saints’ overall rushing defense, the volume stats were high because the team defended among the most attempts throughout the season. New Orleans faced the fourth-most carries against 12 and 13 personnel with 210. 143 of which came while the team was trailing, most in the NFL (3.9 yards per carry on those).

Considering the situation and sheer volume of attempts, it’s clear why the overall yardage was so high. 102 of those rushing attempts also came during the team’s 2-8 start.

While the Saints surrendered 7.5 yards per passing attempt against these groups, their sack percentage ranked No. 5 in the league. Proving that rush and coverage are necessary to continue improving against the passes out of these looks.