By Ross Jackson - LouisianaSports.net
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). ...
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