For the second consecutive season, safety appears to be the strongest position group on the New Orleans Saints’ roster.
With a blend of experience and youth, there’s a lot to like about the team’s defensive backfield. Veterans Justin Reid and Julian Blackmon are versatile enough to each drop deep, play in the box or split the field in coverage.
Meanwhile, second-year safety Jonas Sanker is preparing to step into a vital role in the defense as coordinator Brandon Staley’s new STAR/slot defender.
The return of Blackmon, in particular, is a promising sign for the unit. With Sanker and Reid focusing as disruptors, Blackmon’s ball hawking ability will be a welcome addition to the team after recovering from injury.
The rest of the safety room continues the same trends. A blend of experience and youth along with a whole lot of versatility.
The Names
- Justin Reid
- Julian Blackmon
- Jonas Sanker
- Jordan Howden
- Terrell Burgess
- Elliott Davison
- Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Top Storyline
The best part of the safety room to watch over the course of camp will be how much more freely the group can play thanks to increased familiarity with Staley’s defense and the demands of the position.
Last year, it was clear to see how much more comfortable Reid and Sanker were by the season’s end. Now, they’ll get to bring that sense of settling in with them to start the season, providing a more advanced foundation off of which to work.
The better the safeties perform throughout camp, the more promising the defense will be heading into the season.
Most Intriguing Battle: Styles Shakeup
With Howden and Burgess positioned to return to the roster because of their positional flexibility, experience and special teams acumen, the draft selection of Styles appears to be in line to generate intrigue.
Styles adds elite speed while checking similar boxes to Howden and Burgess.
Throughout offseason practices, cornerbacks Jayden Price and Beanie Bishop led the charge in backing up Sanker in the slot. Styles may join that conversation as well once he’s recovered from his offseason labrum surgery.
It will be very interesting to see how much of an impact Styles will have on the safety room throughout camp.
