AJ Klein
I don't want to hate on Klein but we sure gave up a ton of running plays over 40yds last season. Had it not been for the one or two missed gashes in the run game the Defense would have looked even better. I put those big gainers on the LBrs epically the MLB. And to be fair Teo and Roberson gave some up also.
Agreed. The few explanations I've found for those big gash runs on us in the first half of the seasons (Rev Deuce, Underhill, etc...) have said the DL did it's job and that one or other of the LBs did not. As most of them were against our base defense, that doesn't narrow it down much as to which LB or LBs were to blame, since Klein, Te'o, and Robertson were all on the field.
Regardless, our Saints went out and got a LB in Demario Davis who played lights out last year. You could temper expectations somewhat since 2017 was the only year that he played at that level. I'm not going to do that. He sustained that level of play for the entire season, grading out as the #8 LB in the league overall per PFF. That doesn't seem fluky to me.
For the most part, we have a group of versatile LBs, that could come in handy if guys miss games due to injury. But as we've seen with players like Peat, Vaccaro, Kelemete, Rankins, and to some extent PJ Williams, being moved around the line-up can benefit the team, but not so much for the player. So if Klein is left at SAM, maybe his play, numbers, and grades improve. Just a thought.