ESPN’s series polling dozens of anonymous NFL sources to rank the best players at every position continued this week with the defensive tackles, but there wasn’t a single New Orleans Saints player on the list — not inside the top-10, nor even as an honorable mention.
The Saints overhauled their defensive tackles last year by signing Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders while drafting Bryan Bresee, letting David Onyemata walk away in free agency in the process. But the group didn’t work out as well as hoped, with the Saints allowing the 11th-most rushing yards around the league.
Still, getting snubbed on this list is disappointing given Bresee’s strong rookie year. He made a big impact on passing downs by setting a new team record for sacks among first-year defensive tackles (4.5), and he almost broke the team record for passes batted down at the line of scrimmage (6), too. He also had a couple of sacks nullified by penalties. His 31 quarterback pressures were fourth-most on the team per Pro Football Focus charting.
So how can he improve in 2024 and make this list next year? Bresee must become a more impactful run defender. He was shoved around too easily in that phase last season and the coaching staff made an effort to limit his exposure when opponents were planning to run at him. Of the 15 Saints defenders who logged 400 or more total snaps, only Tanoh Kpassagnon played fewer run defense snaps (139) than Bresee (148). Improving his lower body strength to better anchor against advancing blockers will do a lot to help him stay on the field more often and make more plays.
