The New Orleans Saints made some splashy free agent signings this year, and one player who quickly became a fan-favorite was Khalen Saunders. Active on social media and plenty charismatic, it didn’t take long for Saunders to connect with the fanbase — even if some supporters are putting lofty expectations on the two-time Super Bowl champ.
But Saunders is just hitting his stride as he reaches the peak of his athletic career. Let’s get to know him a little better now that he’ll be wearing black and gold on Sundays:
Saunders’ football career began as a little-known recruit from Parkway Central High School in St. Louis, but he quickly put himself on the map with Western Illinois. He was a dominant defensive tackle and put his athletic gifts to good use when allowed to play offense, finishing his Leathernecks career by scoring touchdowns as both a runner and as a receiver. He was also his school’s first-ever player to be invited to the Senior Bowl.
Saunders weighed in at 6-foot-0 and 324 pounds coming out of college, timing the 40-yard dash in an impressive 5.01 seconds with a 7.61 unofficial Relative Athletic Score. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft, at pick No. 84 overall. Saunders is a father of three and will celebrate his 27th birthday on Aug. 9.
Saunders quickly made an impact on the Kansas City defensive line, playing 335 snaps as a rookie in 2019. But injuries limited him to snap counts of just 74 (due to a dislocated elbow in 2020) and 144 plays (with a knee injury) through the next two seasons. He finally enjoyed improved health in 2022 and posted a career-high 511 snaps, continuing to perform well in run defense while wrecking more havoc on passing down. Pro Football Focus charting found he generated 18 pressures and 5 sacks.
The Chiefs won a Super Bowl in each year Saunders was healthy and available — 2019 and 2022. He’s a rare athlete for his size and gives blockers trouble with his quick feet, mobility, and low center of gravity. Shy Tuttle was an admirable replacement for Malcom Brown at nose tackle in recent years, but the Saints have clearly taken some steps backwards in run defense as of late. Hopefully Saunders can help clean that up like he helped Kansas city.
So what are realistic expectations for Saunders in 2023? For one thing, he needs to stay healthy and available. It’s encouraging that his injury history is a couple of unrelated ailments rather than some sort of chronic condition the Saints will need to help him manage. When he’s active, he’ll spearhead their run defense and play a big role in rebuilding the trenches after the Saints let so many players walk away this spring. He averaged a career-high 26.8 snaps per game last year and should be aiming to play 22 to 28 snaps per game, doing most of his work on early downs and obvious running situations.
