Tyrann Mathieu Could Have A Different Role In The New Orleans Saints Secondary This Season

Why a slightly different role for Tyrann Mathieu may lead to more big plays for Saints defense.

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu will enter the third season with his ''hometown'' team in 2024, his 12th NFL season. A graduate of St. Augustine (LA) High School, Mathieu went on to a standout two-year career at LSU which included four interceptions, 11 fumbles forced, and 1st Team All-American honors.

The Arizona Cardinals selected Mathieu in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. In five years with Arizona, Mathieu had 11 interceptions, broke up 41 passes, forced four fumbles, while recording four sacks and 28 tackles for loss among 308 total stops.

Mathieu joined the Houston Texans in 2018 as a free agent. He'd intercept two passes, broke up eight others, and recorded a career-best three sacks while finishing second among Texans defenders with 70 solo tackles.

A free agent again in 2019, Mathieu would join the Kansas City Chiefs. He earned Pro Bowl honors in all three of his years with the Chiefs as a major contributor for two AFC championships and one Super Bowl champion. Over those three years, Mathieu had 13 interceptions, 35 passes broken up, three sacks, and eight tackles for loss with 213 total stops.

The Saints brought Mathieu home in 2022 with a three-year contract. This offseason, he agreed to a two-year contract extension. Mathieu has seven interceptions in his two seasons with the Saints, leading the team in that category both years. He also broke up 17 passes and has had a combined 166 tackles while playing nearly every defensive snap.

New Role for the Honey Badger?

New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) returns an interception for a touchdown against the New England Patriots / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout his career, Mathieu has been one of the most versatile safeties in the NFL over his 11 seasons. His combination of agility and physicality had allowed him to play as a deep safety, in the box, and even as a slot or outside corner. Since arriving in New Orleans, however, some limitations have emerged in his overall game.

Now 32, Mathieu can no longer be considered a reliable option in slot coverage consistently. He's also not been nearly as effective as a tackler around the line of scrimmage against the run. While not necessarily as versatile as he once was, Mathieu still has important value to the defense.

After the offseason release of Marcus Maye, the Saints have questionable depth at safety. Backup Johnathan Abram is effective in the tackle box and near the line of scrimmage, but has limited range and is a liability in coverage. Ugo Amadi has some coverage value, but he and J.T. Gray are mostly special teams contributors.

New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) against the San Francisco 49ers / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Second-year S Jordan Howden had a solid rookie year, but had some struggles with angles in deep support and seems more effective when used around the formation. Former Lions S Will Harris was added in free agency. Harris has shown the ability to fill multiple roles in the secondary, maybe the only safety on the roster to do so.

Former Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry was selected in the second round of the draft this spring. With corners Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo on the outside, McKinstry and third-year CB Alontae Taylor are expected to take slot duties and play a hybrid safety role in several situations.

All this means that Mathieu may have a fairly clearly defined role for the first time in his NFL career. Mathieu likely won't be asked to cover the slot nearly as often with Taylor, McKinstry, and Harris able to take on those roles. Howden, Taylor, and Abram should also excel as in-the-box defenders if needed.

Other than possibly Harris, Mathieu is the only defensive back on the depth chart that has shown the ability to play as a single-high safety. With Mathieu's instincts and anticipation abilities, along with a foursome of shutdown corners, a clearly defined role could very well lead to several big plays from him and the secondary.