Newly Acquired Saints Defender Loves Dennis Allen's Scheme

New Orleans Saints newly acquired defensive tackle Khalen Saunders praises head coach Dennis Allen, team's defensive approach.

METAIRIE — After joining the team this offseason, New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders said in his introductory press conference that he was excited to be a part of the Saints' attacking scheme on the defensive line. Now that he has gotten a few training camp practices under his belt, it was time to check in on how the progress was going. Turns out, he is loving it just as much as he thought he would.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders (99) answers questions from the media during team availability at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale on Feb. 8, 2023. Nfl Kansas City Chiefs Media Availability; Credit:© Cheryl Evans/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

"That attacking playstyle has definitely held true," Saunders said. "Coach (Dennis Allen), he's got a great scheme out there. It allows us to get downhill. And I think, same thing that I said when I first got here, it's held true: I like defense a lot."

He joked that slimming the weight down was not as hard a task in the New Orleans heat as it was in Kansas City to better prepare him for the needs of the defense.During Saunders very successful time with the Kansas City Chiefs he piled on just 3,5 sacks and 3 tackles for a loss. That production explains the excitement the Western Illinois product displays when discussing opportunities to get downhill. Saunders also mentioned that he has slimmed down from his listed 324 pounds to 315-318 (which he joked was not a hard task in the New Orleans heat) in order to better prepare himself for the needs of the defense.

"The faster you can move, the better," Saunders said. "Obviously shedding a little bit more weight is going to help you move faster, get the tension off of those joints, everything." Playing faster allows him to be more impactful in the run game, as a known run stopper. But it will also allow him to contribute as a disruptive player in the pass rush. An area of his game he seems ready to flex a bit more.

The Chiefs' defense finished second in sacks last season with 55. But in the three years that Saunders was a part of the organization before then, they had not cracked the top-10. In 2021 they were near-last at No. 29 in the league with only 31 sacks and finished No. 19 and No. 11 respectively in 2020 and 2019. Compare that to New Orleans, which has landed in the top-10 every year since 2017 including top-5 finishes in 2018, 2019 and 2022. 

Defense is simply different in the Big Easy and Saunders outlined why. "This defense has been a top defense for years and years," he said. "Having the confidence of Demario Davis behind me, Pete (Werner) behind me, and guys like that. Cam (Jordan) next to me, it's just those type of factors that help you play freely as well. And I feel like that contributes to that attacking defense."

It is safe to say that Saunders feels right at home with the Saints' defense and with head coach Dennis Allen. He describes his playstyle as an athletic one, which is a perfect fit for the demands of this system. Allen and his defense are an athletic and versatile one with a lot of endurance that tries to wear down opposing offenses. That contributes to their high sack numbers, but also helps a ton in the run game.

It is important to remember that while the sacks, quarterback hits and pressures are considering more exciting numbers, stopping the run is always first priority. Saunders did not let himself go without expressing his ambitions for that area of the game as well by simply saying, "If we don't got a good run defense, I take that personally."