There’s a surprising amount of intrigue surrounding the New Orleans Saints defense as they prepare for their 2023 training camp; the strength of the team, the defense saw massive turnover in free agency and the departure of several highly-regarded assistants in the spring. They need to show they’re still a unit the team can lean on whenever the offense is off its game.
That starts in training camp. Here’s our take on what the initial depth chart may look like on defense as players arrive and begin to hit the practice field:
Left defensive end
- No. 94 Cameron Jordan
- No. 92 Tanoh Kpassagnon
- No. 91 Jabari Zuniga
- No. 54 Niko Lalos
Jordan remains the best player along the defensive line, and he could really use some help as he progresses further into the later stages of his career. Zuniga returns from last year’s practice squad and Lalos is back with New Orleans after a successful stop in the XFL.
Left defensive tackle
- No. 93 Nathan Shepherd
- No. 90 Bryan Bresee (rookie)
- No. 95 Jack Heflin
Shepherd has the benefit of experience, though Bresee should play a ton of snaps in the rotation at this defensive tackle spot. Heflin has some juice and played well in the XFL earlier this year.
Nose tackle
- No. 99 Khalen Saunders
The Saints rarely field a dedicated nose tackle; Shy Tuttle didn’t quite fit that description, but he was the closest thing they had to one after parting ways with Malcom Brown a few years back. Saunders will do more than just stop the run on first down, but the team doesn’t have a clear backup for him right now. He’s the only defensive lineman listed at more than 315 pounds.
Right defensive tackle
- No. 97 Malcolm Roach
- No. 57 Prince Emili
- No. 77 Jerron Cage (rookie)
Roach will probably round out the group — the Saints rarely roster more than four or five defensive tackles in total, and they rotate in and out of games at different alignments so it isn’t very helpful to break things down to left and right designations like this. But Roach has the greatest pro experience out of this trio.
Right defensive end
- No. 96 Carl Granderson
- No. 98 Payton Turner
- No. 55 Isaiah Foskey (rookie)
How long will Foskey sit at the bottom of the depth chart here? We’re guessing it won’t take much time for him to surpass his teammates and start games for the Saints opposite Cameron Jordan. His combination of athleticism, playmaking ability, durability, and leadership traits is rare.
Linebacker (Sam)
- No. 53 Zack Baun
- No. 43 Ryan Connelly
The Saints have to be hoping for Baun to break out much like Kaden Elliss did last year — the impressive tape Elliss put up each week led to more three-linebacker sets which had been previously hard to come by in New Orleans. Baun has been limited to a role on special teams to this point in his career but this is his best chance at earning a larger slice of the pie.
Linebacker (Mike)
- No. 56 Demario Davis
- No. 52 D’Marco Jackson
- No. 50 Andrew Dowell
- No. 58 Anfernee Orji (rookie)
Davis is an every-down defender in the middle of the defense, but the Saints badly need a young backup to emerge as a long-term backup plan for the veteran Pro Bowler. He won’t be here forever. Jackson has high hopes after an injury cost his rookie year, and Orji received enough contract guarantees to at least promise him a spot on the practice squad.
Linebacker (Will)
- No. 20 Pete Werner
- No. 45 Nephi Sewell
- No. 42 Ty Summers
- No. 40 Nick Anderson (rookie)
Athleticism is a priority at this spot given how many reps these weakside linebackers play out in space, and Werner is the best in the group with his lateral agility and lower-body explosiveness. When healthy, he’s a special defender. Sewell and Summers can both help on special teams, and they’re in Anderson’s way as he fights for a roster spot.
Strong safety
- No. 32 Tyrann Mathieu
- No. 24 Johnathan Abram
- No. 38 Smoke Monday
Monday has a lot of fans given the strength of his name and encouraging game tape at Auburn, but he’s in a tight spot with an accomplished veteran ahead of him. Mathieu plays nearly every down but Abram has the credentials to carve out a role for himself if he can outlast Monday and some other young backups during the preseason.
Free safety
- No. 6 Marcus Maye
- No. 28 Lonnie Johnson Jr.
- No. 31 Jordan Howden (rookie)
- No. 48 J.T. Gray
The Saints are still hesitant to play Gray often defensively (though he’s a crucial part of their kicking units on special teams), with Johnson quickly emerging as Maye’s top backup in spring practices. We’ll see whether that continues in training camp, but Howden also made some headway.
Slot defensive back
- No. 21 Bradley Roby
- No. 0 Ugo Amadi
- No. 31 Jordan Howden (rookie)
This is such a unique position it requires its own explanation. Roby was by far the team’s best option last year when healthy, but he may get pushed aside if Alontae Taylor doesn’t win his competition with Paulson Adebo to start out on the boundary (we’ll talk more about that shortly). Behind Roby, Amadi has covered the slot competently before, and Howden excelled in the role in college.
Left cornerback
- No. 1 Alontae Taylor
- No. 29 Paulson Adebo
- No. 27 Isaac Yiadom
- No. 36 Anthony Johnson (PUP rookie)
Adebo has more than a fighting chance at winning this competition if he’s healthy and fully recovered from the ankle issue that slowed him down last year, but Taylor was clearly the better option for the Saints and now he needs to prove it’s still the case. Behind them, Yiadom stood out as a dynamic coverage ace on special teams late in 2022, so he needs to prove it wasn’t a one-off.
Right cornerback
- No. 23 Marshon Lattimore
- No. 37 Troy Pride Jr.
- No. 44 Adrian Frye
The Saints brought in a couple of veterans to compete for the backup job behind Lattimore, though it’s likely the Saints would continue to field whoever isn’t already starting out of Taylor, Adebo, and Bradley Roby to fill in should Lattimore miss time in 2023 (an approach which worked well for them in 2022).
