New Orleans Saints linebacker Anfernee Orji continues to impress Dennis Allen. Orji has been primarily a special teams player, but injuries have forced him to play more on defense.
That role will diminish with Pete Werner returning from injury as early as this week, but Orji has made the most of his time. In the only game Orji played more than 30 snaps, he registered 10 tackles against the Kansas City Chiefs. That was second only to Demario Davis.
Orji showed the ability to get in the backfield against the Denver Broncos. He didn’t play as much as he did versus the Chiefs, so his total tackles dropped. Orji did get the first two tackles for a loss of his career on Thursday night, however.
Allen believes Orji has “made a ton of progress since last year.” Orji spent all of last year on the practice squad, and showed refinement in training camp. That’s transitioned over to his regular season snaps.
Though Allen admitted they didn’t plan on playing Orji this much, he thinks this is the silver lining of injuries: “You have an opportunity for some young guys step up, get some valuable playing experience.”
