By Ross Jackson
With new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley set to implement his system, the New Orleans Saints must now focus on filling key roster needs to ensure its success.
These are needs that could be filled by players that are currently on the roster or may require the team to look outside of the facility in either free agency or the draft. Certainly the trade marker is a possibility, as well, but as the Saints work to get younger, using their draft capital in the selection process is likely a better approach.
Staley’s scheme is going to be back on physicality, versatility, and athleticism. With that, here are three big positions of need for the Saints’ new direction on defense.
Nose Tackle
The Saints have historically relied on stout defensive tackles to anchor their front. From 2015 to 2018, Tyeler Davison filled the role, followed by Malcom Brown in 2019 and 2020, and Malcolm Roach intermittently in the years since. However, all of those players are now long gone, leaving a void the team must address.
New Orleans must find a bigger-bodied -0 or 1-tech type of defensive tackle that can line up over the center or between the center and guard and change the numbers by forcing the offense to dedicate multiple blockers. They need an Eddie Goldman-style interior defender.
Finding one allows for one-on-one opportunities on the outside, maximizing pass rush, and edge defender potential. This becomes even more vital if the team begins to shift to more odd-front defensive line formations.
Options: On the roster, the Saints could look to shift veteran defensive tackle Khalen Saunders to this role. At 6-foot and 324 pounds, he has a solid build for the responsibilities, but his athleticism may make him a better option to not limit and instead utilize elsewhere. The Saints could go to free agency for a 2024 Los Angeles Charger Teair Tart or look to the draft for big-bodied defenders, like Kentucky’s Deone Walker (6-foot-7, 340 pounds), Maryland’s Jordan Phillips (6-foot-1, 318 pounds), and Texas nose tackle Alfred Collins (6-foot-5, 320 pounds).
Speed Rusher
Staley has seen a lot of success with more slender, speedy, and agile standup pass rushers. Staley’s 3-4-based scheme prioritizes athleticism off the edge, as seen with Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd in Chicago, and later with Floyd and Samson Ebukam in Los Angeles.
New Orleans has typically relied on the towering 6-foot-5 or above, 270 pounds or more prototype. That could very well change with their new defensive direction going forward. Finding a pass rusher that can win with bend around the edge and run the arch is all of a sudden a necessity for the Saints. There should be no further avoidance of the 6-foot-3 and 245 pound explosive athlete at pass rusher.
Options: Saints defensive ends Carl Granderson and Isaiah Foskey both played this role in their collegiate days. Granderson may have to slim back down after bulking up over the years, but he has retained his speed and burst despite his changing frame. Foskey could finally have a role that he immediately fits, rather than having to change his game in New Orleans. His “Vyper” role from Notre Dame should have prepared him perfectly for this.
New Orleans would also have seemingly endless options for this type of defender in the 2025 draft. From Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. and Boston College EDGE Donovan Eziruaku in the early rounds to Central Arkansas speed rusher David Walker and UCLA hybrid end/linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo in the middle or later rounds. It’s the perfect time to invest in this prototype. Those are only a small percentage of the examples. Even at the top of the draft, names like Marshall edge rusher Mike Green and Georgia outside linebacker Jalon Walker are also possible at No. 9 overall.
Downhill Safety
Both in coverage and in the run game, the Saints will need a safety that can trigger downhill in a hurry. Whether playing a robber role, dropping into a mid-field zone to take away crossing routes to changing the numbers in the box in the run game, this will be a major need for New Orleans.
It won’t just be about manning the position, either. The Saints will need real impact here. While he wasn’t able to stay healthy in 2020, Staley had a valuable asset in this area with safety Taylor Rapp. He found a lot of success with some fantastic seasons out of Chargers safety Derwin James.
Options: In-house, the Saints could easily shift safety Tyrann Mathieu away from his deep safety role into this one to allow him to be more disruptive near the line of scrimmage. Another position that almost made this list was the STAR role, one that seems to fit slot cornerback Alontae Taylor quite well. The two of them causing havoc near the line of scrimmage could be a solid addition to Staley’s scheme.
The Saints could also look to re-sign safety Will Harris Jr., who is a head-on-fire sure tackler that would likely have a ton of production holding this responsibility.
Rapp is in the final year of his deal with the Buffalo Bills this season and could save Buffalo $3.35 million if cut. Should he become available, Staley could certainly go after him.
