State of the Offseason Saints: Defensive Line

The Saints defensive line needs a bit more to pack a punch in 2024, and how they try to get there will be interesting.

After Sunday, we'll know which two teams will compete for Super Bowl LVII. As the Saints continue to go through their offseason, we can't help but wonder what another season could have been for Dennis Allen and company. 

New Orleans has plenty of things to address over the next couple of months, and we continue looking at each position to see where the team is at and where things need to go. We flip to the opposite side of the ball to look at the defensive trenches, which had its fair share of ups and downs last season.

STATE OF THE OFFSEASON SAINTS SERIES: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Line

Saints Defensive Line Overview

Nov 5, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (90) looks on from the bench against the Chicago Bears during the second half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Players Under Contract: Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Payton Turner, Isaiah Foskey, Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Bryan Bresee

Free Agent Outlook: Kyle Phillips, Malcolm Roach, P.J. Mustipher (ERFA)

Priority Level: High

Saints Defensive Line 2023 Snap Counts

• Carl Granderson - 874 (78.95%)
• Cam Jordan - 771 (69.65%)
• Nathan Shepherd - 594 (53.66%)
• Bryan Bresee - 539 (48.69%)
• Khalen Saunders - 523 (47.24%)
• Tanoh Kpassagnon - 405 (36.59%)
• Malcolm Roach - 290 (26.2%)
• Isaiah Foskey - 83 (7.5%)
• Kyle Phillips - 56 (5.06%)
• P.J. Mustipher - 42 (3.79%)
• Payton Turner - 25 (2.26%)
• Jason Pierre-Paul - 17 (1.54%)
• Jack Heflin - 17 (1.54%)

The Saints finished with 34 sacks in 2023, with 22 (64.7%) coming from the defensive line. Carl Granderson led the way with 8.5 sacks, with Demario Davis finishing right behind him at 6.5. Rookie Bryan Bresee finished third on the team with 4.5 sacks, and was a pleasant surprise all year to help live up to his first-round hype.

Saints Sack Leaders - 2023

1. Carl Granderson - 8.5 
2. Demario Davis - 6.5
3. Bryan Bresee - 4.5
4. Tanoh Kpassagnon - 3.5
5. Nathan Shepherd - 3.0
6. Zack Baun, Cam Jordan - 2.0
7. Alontae Taylor, Jordan Howden, Marcus Maye - 1.0
8. Pete Werner, Isaiah Foskey - 0.5

New Orleans had some retooling to do along the line last offseason after losing Marcus Davenport, Shy Tuttle, Kentavius Street and David Onyemata to free agency. At one point, they had just one defensive tackle on the roster in Malcolm Roach. They added some free agents to the equation in Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd to become their starting tandem, signing each to reasonable deals. Bresee and Foskey were added in the draft, and coupled with a promising camp from Payton Turner, things were looking up for the front four.

Turner ended up getting hurt in the season opener, which was really disappointing. His turf toe surgery forced him to miss nearly the whole season, as he didn't return until the season finale. Foskey's limited work and injuries made him not see a lot of action, while the team faced injuries at the edge position throughout the year that saw them call up various players to help fill in. Overall, it wasn't consistent enough of an attack at the end of the day outside of Carl Granderson. The mobile quarterbacks and almost sacks were also a thing that drove everyone crazy.

Entering 2024, the Saints need a few things to happen. For starters, Payton Turner has to stay healthy and take a giant leap in his contract year. Like Tanoh Kpassagnon, the team can use him inside if needed, and we saw him be a part of the team's 3rd Down rush package in the finale. Isaiah Foskey has to have a killer rebound campaign in his second year, and the team has to find at least one more impact player along the line, preferably at the edge spot.

Drafting another player on the defensive line is certainly a possibility for the Saints. It might not happen at 14th, but 45th could be realistic. The issue is that any edge player the Saints have drafted outside of Trey Hendrickson hasn't really panned out. They've tried with two first-rounders and a second-rounder, but none have made the expected impact.

There's a good bit of high-profile edge rushers that will hit free agency very soon, but it's hard to see New Orleans landing a big fish. However, that doesn't mean they shouldn't or won't try. Chris Jones, Justin Madubuike, Christian Wilkins, Josh Allen, Brian Burns, Danielle Hunter and Chase Young will all be big targets when the new league rolls around, assuming their current teams do not keep them. Regardless, the talent pool of proven talent is plentiful.

The long and short of it is that the Saints need a game-changer at defensive end and could use another playmaker from the interior. How they get that is what will be interesting, and if they want to take things to the next level under Todd Grantham's attacking style of play, then they have to find a way.