As we wrap up the preview series for the New Orleans Saints upcoming free agent class, we head to the defensive line with Baton Rouge native Malcolm Roach.
Roach joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of the University of Texas. After a career year that was cut short with an injury, he’s set to enter free agency this offseason. We will take a look back at his year and figure out whether or not the team should (or can) bring him back for another season.
Here is the free agent preview for defensive lineman Malcolm Roach:
2023 stats
Roach had a career best season in 2023 despite not starting any games and actually playing in less games overall than last season due to injury. Roach was able to stack up 38 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit (though no sacks).
He ranked third on the team among defensive tackles in terms of total tackles. He had 14 more tackles than Bresee, but didn’t have the pass rush success that Bresee did. Roach was one of the more successful run defenders on the team, especially in terms of efficiency with snaps played.
Snap counts
Speaking of snaps played, Roach was on pace for a career-high before suffering an injury that kept him out for the end of the 2023 season. He played about 37% of defensive snaps (290), lowest among the defensive tackles, but still more than he’d seen before. He also had a new personal-best in special teams reps played, making an appearance on 16% of snaps (52).
Roach spent an equal amount of time playing against both the pass and the run, with a slight edge to pass plays.
2023 season review
Roach has made a name for himself as a solid member of the defensive tackle rotation and that continued in 2023. With just one career sack, you can’t expect him to be the answer to the pass rushing problem out of nowhere, so looking at his run defense he was a very solid option. For his price, he was a valuable member of the team before he was lost for the last few games of the season.
He would have likely led the defensive tackle group in tackles if he stayed healthy, despite not being a starter. Having that level of defender coming off of the bench is valuable to a defense, especially one that switches players around as much as the Saints do.
Future value to Saints
Roach’s value in the future is likely the same that it has been for his career. While his role and stats increased this season, it wasn’t enough to make him a star player in the defense. If he came back he probably would stay a rotational piece. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for him or the team, though. As mentioned previously mentioned, that type of player brings a nice value to the team. It more depends on if that’s good for Roach, or if he wants to search for a bigger role.
Stay or go?
I believe that Roach will likely be gone, but not by the choice of the team. Roach could have played himself into a bigger contract much like Shy Tuttle did the year before. His role with the Saints is replaceable but he likely is worth a bigger opportunity. The team has invested a lot into the defensive line recently so it might not make a ton of sense to give Roach a lot of money when he probably has met his ceiling with New Orleans.
