Do The Saints Need To Go Find Another Defensive End?

With Tanoh Kpassagnon out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, where does that leave the Saints?

Sep 18, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws under pressure from New Orleans Saints defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (92) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints revealed some unfortunate news on Tuesday afternoon, as Dennis Allen told us that Tanoh Kpassagnon tore his Achilles in the offseason. While the veteran pass rusher has not been ruled out for the year, he will miss training camp and won't be ready for Week 1. So, where does that leave New Orleans?

Currently, Chase Young (neck surgery) is out of the mix for OTAs, but he is around the building doing rehab and is on track to be ready for training camp. Cam Jordan (ankle surgery) is ramping up and getting close to returning. That leaves the Saints with Carl Granderson, their leading sack artist from last season, Payton Turner, Isaiah Foskey, Niko Lalos, Nathan Latu and Trajan Jeffcoat. We also haven't seen Latu on the field yet. On paper, things do look like it could work here.

SHOPPING THE MARKET: Emmanuel Ogbah, Yannick Ngakoue, Carl Lawson, Charles Harris, Tyus Bowser and Shaq Lawson are still free agents. The market is going to heat up fairly quickly soon, and we should expect some movement across the league. You'll see even more adds before training camp gets here. Based on some of the conversations with Mickey Loomis, New Orleans doesn't appear to be a team that will shell out top dollar for a name.

The two biggest names on the list bring their own set of challenges. Last August, Ngakoue signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Bears. That's not exactly the type of spending we should expect from the Saints. For Ogbah, he's coming off of a season-ending triceps injury and was later released by the Dolphins in late February. Harris appeared in 13 games for the Lions last season, but didn't make a large impact for Aaron Glenn's defense. Lawson was phased out for the Jets, and Bowser was on the reserve/non-football injury list last year with the Ravens.

WHAT LIKELY HAPPENS: This is a tremendous opportunity for both Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey. They figure to be the biggest benefactors to Kpassagnon's absence. but more for Turner. He's more of the player who will move inside for the sub-rush packages, and we saw some of that in the season finale against the Panthers last year. He needs to produce too, as it is a contract year for him, and the biggest thing he can offer right now is availability.

As exciting as it could be to turn to free agency, the Saints most likely stay put and roll with what they have and see how things play out in training camp. They can easily sign someone from last year's squad like Kyle Phillips, assuming he's interested. If they were to take a flier on Bowser, that could be interesting. There's some intrigue to players like Trajan Jeffcoat, and more interested is needed there. No matter how it looks, the bottom line is it has to work in New Orleans and they have to be better at affecting the quarterback and finishing plays.