The New Orleans Saints decided to not add any big-name safeties in the draft or free agency this year. Tyrann Mathieu will obviously be starting at free safety. That leaves Johnathan Abram and Jordan Howden to duel for the starting strong safety spot.
After Marcus Maye went down with an injury last year, Abram closed out the season as the starter, playing ahead of Howden in the closing weeks of the regular season. This would signify one should expect this to be his job to lose.
Abram also possesses the skillset to play strong safety. He has been criticized in the past, but this wouldn’t require him to be the deep safety often. He is a physical player who is at his best when used closer to the line of scrimmage. This would play to his strengths.
Unfortunately for Howden, the second-year player is probably best suited to play free safety. He’s a rangy player who would be good in the back end. That is occupied by Mathieu, however. It appears the Saints want to keep Mathieu as their deep safety despite his versatility underneath.
That means Howden must grow in Year 2 as a shallow defender. This is Abram’s game, but with a full training camp to focus on it, Howden could take that next step as they compete. They say iron sharpens iron. It’s worth noting that Justin Simmons remains a free agent — one of the best players at the position in recent years, who was a Denver Broncos salary cap casualty this offseason. It’s on Howden and Abram to prove the Saints don’t need him.
