By Ross Jackson
Second-year defense tackle Khristian Boyd could see an increased role in the new 2025 New Orleans Saints defense.
The expected change to a heavier usage of odd-man fronts will provide Boyd an alignment on the defensive line that feels very familiar to his college days.
Among the defensive tackle group in New Orleans, Boyd is the only player to have a single season with more than 200 nose tackle snaps in the last five seasons. You have to go back to his Northern Iowa days, of course, but as a second-year pro player, that’s understandable.
Boyd will work at three-tech throughout the offseason, but it looks like he will focus at nose tackle.
That puts him alongside veteran Khalen Saunders and rookie Vernon Broughton to work at both positions. Though others like Nathan Shepherd and Davin Godchaux, who were not in attendance at Thursday’s OTA practice, are likely to join the mix.
For Boyd, this puts him back in a comfortable role, one that he played well in college. He finished his six seasons of college play with 22.5 tackles for a loss and 10.5 sacks.
Blue Springs standout and UNI DT- Khristian Boyd:
Nice rip/pull on the guard here to gain leverage and work the angle around the blocker’s right shoulder. pic.twitter.com/SWI7OedetD
— Rocky Magaña (a pleasant son of a buck) (@RockyMagana) March 25, 2024
During his two seasons, he saw his snaps tick up from nose tackle.
- 2023: 279
- 2022: 187
During his rookie season last year, Boyd didn’t see many opportunities. He appeared in just 74 defensive snaps total in 2024. None of which were over the center as a nose tackle in former coach Dennis Allen’s defense. He was inactive for a long streak toward the end of the season, as well.
Now, Boyd should get a better opportunity to carve out success for himself in that he’s not being asked to strictly do something new. Instead, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is giving him a chance to prove he can do the role that got him drafted in the first place.
