In back-to-back drafts, the New Orleans Saints have invested in the interior defensive line on Day 2. This year, the Saints selected Georgia defensive lineman Christen Miller in Round 2; last year, New Orleans took Texas’ Vernon Broughton in Round 3.
Both moves set up a potential changing of the guard for the Saints. But it hasn’t happened just yet.
No position on the Saints’ roster will arguably have a more competitive training camp when practices begin later this month. Miller and Broughton are vying for starting spots, but the incumbents may have something to say about that. The Saints got good production out of Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux and Nathan Shepherd a year ago — and they all have something to prove heading into next season.
Godchaux and Shepherd, for instance, are entering contract years. And Bresee, who had his fifth-year option picked up in May, could also be in store for a major payday if he has a breakout season.
The battle for one of the deeper positions on the Saints’ roster should be fierce.
Depth chart (name, height, weight, experience)
Bryan Bresee, 6-foot-5, 304 pounds, 4 years
Davon Godcahux, 6-3, 330 pounds, 10
Nathan Shepherd, 6-4, 315, 9
Christen Miller, 6-3, 321, R
Vernon Broughton, 6-5, 311, 2
John Ridgeway, 6-5, 321, 5
Myles Cole, 6-6, 278, 2
Khristian Boyd, 6-2, 320, 3
Zxavian Harris, 6-8, 330, R
Keeshawn Silver, 6-4, 330, R
Jay’Viar Suggs, 6-3, 299, R
Number to know: 387
That’s how many snaps the Saints played in their base defense when all three interior defenders shared the field. According to Next Gen Stats, those 387 reps were the sixth-most in the NFL — representing 36.7% of the Saints’ defensive plays.
In Year 2 under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, it will be interesting to monitor whether he relies on a similarly heavy usage. There are reasons to believe that it might not stay the same. For one, the Saints often match their personnel to the look the offense presented, and last year, New Orleans faced many teams that preferred to deploy heavier personnel, such as the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams.
The game situation also dictated what defenses Staley deployed. In 2025, the Saints faced the third-most rushing attempts — in large part because they trailed in many of their games and that allowed opponents to maintain control on the ground. If the Saints can stay more competitive in contests and force teams into more obvious passing situations, that will limit the likelihood that all three interior defenders see the field together.
What is set to be a competitive training camp would be even more intriguing if, effectively, only two spots are up for grabs instead of three.
The lowdown
The Saints’ injection of youth on the interior isn’t the only way that the position has changed over the last few years. Last offseason, New Orleans acquired Godchaux from the New England Patriots. And by switching to a 3-4 scheme, the Saints asked their linemen to have different responsibilities than they had in a 4-3.
But the changes were for the better. Notably, the Saints were much improved at stopping the run in 2025. New Orleans went from allowing 141.1 rushing yards per game (second most) in 2024 to 120.6 rushing yards per game last season. The latter still ranked 19th, but in terms of rushing EPA allowed per play, the Saints had the third-best rate (-0.10). In simple terms, teams weren’t very efficient in running the ball against the Saints — not like before.
There’s a lot of depth in this group, even beyond the recent draft picks and veteran starters. The Saints re-signed John Ridgeway to a two-year, $5.7 million contract when free agency opened, and that was because the team values what Ridgeway can contribute in stopping the run. Former sixth-round pick Khristian Boyd has also shown promise, while former Jaguars lineman Myles Cole received first-team reps on occasion during OTAs.
The position is so crowded that one can’t help but wonder whether general manager Mickey Loomis might make another trade before cutdown day in August. Last year, the Saints traded veteran defensive tackle Khalen Saunders for center Luke Fortner — a deal that proved to be very important to the Saints.
Potential camp battle
The starting spots and everything else in between.
Only Bresee — who started every game he appeared in last year — can be comfortably penciled in as a starter. But that’s as long as he proves to be the three-down player he was in 2025, which wasn’t the case through his first two seasons.
Elsewhere, can Miller and Broughton unseat Godchaux and Shepherd? Godchaux saw his playing time dip toward the end of last season, but he remains a reliable nose tackle. Do the Saints view Miller as physically big enough to fill that spot? Interestingly, Shepherd was working with the third-string unit when he reported to mandatory minicamp after missing OTAs. But the 32-year-old had a productive 2025, playing 63.2% of the team’s snaps — the most among Saints interior defensive linemen.
The Saints like to rotate their defensive linemen throughout the game, so there should be opportunities for those who don’t earn a starting job. But as of now, it seems like the Saints’ coaching staff will have its hands full in determining that specific order.