Saints Defensive Line Lands In Bottom Tier Rankings By Pro Football Focus

The Saints defensive line keeps taking some shots in the rankings, but is it valid criticism?

Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA;New Orleans Saints defensive end Carl Granderson (96) rushes as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) blocks during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Tis the season of no football, which brings various rankings of all sorts. Earlier on Tuesday, we looked at how the Saints roster stacked up from ESPN. Now, we look at another by Pro Football Focus, who turned in a 24th overall ranking for the New Orleans defensive line. Here's what they had to say.

Cameron Jordan is still an outstanding run defender, but last season represented his third straight year with a PFF pass-rushing grade below 70.0, and he managed fewer than 50 pressures for the second season in a row. With Jordan, Carl Granderson and now Chase Young in situ, the Saints could create significant pressure off the edge, but it’s no guarantee.

Inside, the hope rests on a second-year breakout from Bryan Bresee, who recorded just 31 quarterback pressures and a 30.1 PFF run-defense grade as a rookie.

Analytics don't always tell the full story, but it is a big piece of information that teams use more and more. For the Saints defensive line, they do have tons of question marks. As pointed out in our State of the Defensive Line piece before the Super Bowl, the defense turned in 34 sacks and 22 (64.7%) came from the line. They needed to pack more of a punch, to say the least.

Chase Young, who was a big get in free agency, has been doing well in the rehab process, and we expect him to get the 'ramp up' treatment when he gets into training camp. The demeanor and attitude we've heard about his approach is encouraging, so he looks to be a big part of the plan to fix a pass rush who had plenty of opportunities last year.

It's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities to see Carl Granderson notch double-digit sacks in 2024, especially if Young can help provide some chaos on the other side. Granderson is coming off a career year after getting a big four-year contract extension last September. Right now, he's the one constant that can be counted on.

We're not entirely sure what Cam Jordan's workload will be like, but him staying healthy will be big for the Saints defense. The three-year span of production PFF referenced in their article may have some correlation to the reduced snap counts for Jordan. He's gone from 830 (74.3%) snaps in 2021 to 790 (69.8%) in 2022 to 771 (69.7%) last season. That number could decline even more in 2024.

Sticking with the other edge players, a lot of success will hinge on what the Saints get out of Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner. Tanoh Kpassagnon (Achilles) won't be available anytime soon, and Niko Lalos and Trajan Jeffcoat are the others in the mix for training camp after the team waived Nathan Latu. Could New Orleans add to the roster here? Absolutely, and we even looked at that after the Kpassagnon news. However, the most likely outcome is Foskey and Turner delivering.

The interior figures to be another story altogether. Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders were the main players in the rotation, while Bryan Bresee emerged in a big way. After losing out Malcolm Roach to the Broncos, New Orleans wisely addressed the position in the draft with sixth-rounder Khristian Boyd and added Kyler Baugh as an undrafted rookie. Jack Heflin returns to the mix as well, but he's been missing in action. The Saints also added veteran Kendal Vickers in mid-May. This group will most certainly be under a microscope, but has some potential.

The Saints could greatly benefit from a better pass rush this season, but also need to tighten up the run game. They ranked 22nd last season after allowing 119.9 rushing yards/game. which improved statistically year over year from turning in the 24th overall run defense with 130.5 rushing yards/game allowed. To get back into the postseason after a three-year absence, New Orleans will need everything they can get to be there when it's all said and done, and the defensive line is a key piece in accomplishing that.