The New Orleans Saints took two different approaches when addressing their defensive line this offseason.
For the edge group, New Orleans focused on retaining its own. The Saints re-signed Chase Young to a splashy three-year, $51 million contract. And the team also brought back Cam Jordan on a reworked contract for a 15th season.
The interior of the line, meanwhile, underwent a more fundamental change. Though the Saints also brought back starting defensive tackles Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd on reworked deals, New Orleans traded for Davon Godchaux and drafted third-rounder Vernon Broughton. Those two moves, in particular, account for the differences in scheme under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.
Together, the Saints are hoping to get more out of the line that underwhelmed last season.
The Saints ranked 21st in quarterback pressure percentage and 20th in sacks with 39 — and only 28 of those came from the defensive line. They were even worse against the run, allowing the second-most rushing yards per game and the second-most rushing yards per play.
Depth chart (name, height, weight, NFL experience)
Edge rushers
Chase Young, 6-5, 265, 6
Carl Granderson, 6-5, 261, 7
Cam Jordan, 6-4, 287, 15
Isaiah Foskey, 6-5, 270, 3
Chris Rumph, 6-2, 244, 5
Fadil Diggs, 6-4, 257, R
Jasheen Davis, 6-3, R
Interior
Bryan Bresee, 6-5, 305, 3
Davon Godchaux, 6-3, 330, 9
Khalen Saunders, 6-0, 324, 7
Vernon Broughton, 6-5, 311, R
Jonah Williams, 6-5, 275, 5
Nathan Shepherd, 6-4, 315, 8
John Ridgeway, 6-5, 321, 4
Khristian Boyd, 6-2, 320, 2
Omari Thomas, 6-4, 325, R
Best case
Start with the investment the Saints made toward stopping the run. If that happens, the defensive line should be significantly better than it was last year.
Besides the obvious need to cut down on the amount of yardage given up on the ground, stopping the run could help put the defense in more favorable situations on third down. Last year, the Saints faced an average third-down distance of 7.1 yards — good for around league average (17th). That’s not terrible, but New Orleans then generated pressure on only 35.6% of its third downs. That was the third-worst rate in the league.
In general, the Saints need more out of their pass rush. That area improved over the last eight games of the season, when then-interim coach Darren Rizzi had Brian Young oversee the defensive line rather than Todd Grantham. In that span, the Saints had 20 sacks after registering 19 in the first nine outings. Brian Young was retained on staff when Kellen Moore was hired, though Jay Rodgers now coaches the team’s edge rushers and Brian Davis coaches the defensive line.
If this season goes right for the line, it’ll likely be because the Saints found more consistency in that regard. New Orleans hasn’t had a rusher earn double-digit sacks since Cam Jordan in 2021.
The best person to break that streak this year might be Chase Young — who, despite only recording 5½ sacks in 2024, ranked sixth in quarterback pressures with 73.
If Young can just convert more of those into sacks — and granted, that’s been the knock on him for most of his career — then the line will be better off for it.
Worst case
Whenever there’s a scheme change implemented, it can take at least a year for the coaching staff to find the right pieces for its new defense.
That might be the case for New Orleans this year.
Even with Chase Young’s re-signing, the Saints don’t have a ton of star power on the edge. The team’s brass chose to take offensive tackle Kelvin Banks in the first round instead of an edge rusher such as Jalon Walker or Mykel Williams. The Saints prioritized the offensive line, and while that’s certainly reasonable, it could come at a cost on the defense.
The worst-case scenario is that, in addition to the potential lack of pressure from the edge, the changes intended to stop the run don’t work either. The Saints’ interior is crowded right now. And though that should be sorted out in training camp, there’s a possibility that the Saints are still searching for a viable run defender over the course of the season, and players such as Bresee and Broughton don’t make as much of an impact as the team would hope.
A prediction in 10 words or less
Saints make strides but still draft edge rusher next year