Now that the New Orleans Saints appear to be settling safety Jonas Sanker into a new role, the STAR/slot defender, a breakout year could be on the way for the second-year third-rounder.
Sanker already impressed during his rookie season wherein he started 16 games after fellow safety with breakout potential, Julian Blackmon, suffered a season-ending injury after the first contest.
With 16 games as a roaming field-side safety playing in space on defense, Sanker proved that he could be a reliable coverage player. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), he was the closest defender on 24 targets with only 14 caught, a completion percentage of just 58.3%. He also finished with two interceptions, four pass breakups and one touchdown credited against his coverage. Opposing quarterbacks had only a 60.9 passer rating when throwing his way.
Meanwhile, Sanker also proved to be a reliable tackler at the catch point, allowing only 3.36 yards after the catch per completion.
Although he finished with a missed tackle percentage of 17.9%, tackling in space is a very different ask than tackling in the middle of the field where congestion will allow for more help defenders to arrive and provide fewer escape routes for wideouts. During his collegiate career, he finished his four years with only 10.6% of his tackles missed while appearing often in the box and in the slot.
The new role he is set to take on in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s system should play to the same strengths he showed in college, while leveraging what he proved he could do as a coverage player last year. It will also put him in position to be a pressure generator as a potential blitzer in advantageous situations.
In college, Sanker rushed the passer on just 39 career snaps, per PFF. On those snaps, he generated pressure on 13, getting to the quarterback twice.
While the overall volume of stats isn’t eye-popping, notching a pressure on one third of your pass rushing opportunities creates confidence in that area of his game.
Sanker and his expected new role provide both excitement and breakout potential in 2026. The second-year safety is in line for a notable boost in his second year.
