There are a lot of questions surrounding the New Orleans Saints right now. Can Derek Carr upgrade their offense to at least a league-average standard? Can their offensive line get healthy? And, hey, what about a defense that has lost four of their top five defensive linemen and a quality linebacker?
That’s where NFL.com analyst Nick Shook fell in putting together a list of “burning questions” every team must answer in 2023. When it comes to New Orleans, he’s zeroing in on: “Can the Saints restock their defense well enough to remain effective?”
That will probably be summarized with a quick yes or no by year’s end, but Shook elaborated on his reasoning:
Last year’s explanation was quite simple: The Saints lacked a star quarterback. New Orleans’ defense still played well, and receiver Chris Olave was just about as good as Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson (if not better, depending on who you ask). All of the pieces are in place for this offense to be better in 2023, thanks to the addition of Derek Carr. But a quick scan down the roster reveals a defensive front that has some holes. New Orleans has the draft capital to make some key additions but will have to lean on Dennis Allen’s expertise to maintain its level of production that kept the Saints afloat in the post-Drew Brees era. If they figure that out, watch out.
Free agent additions like Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders will help replenish the depth chart up front (as does extensions with Tanoh Kpassagnon and Malcolm Roach), but there’s obviously more work to be done. The Saints need at least one more defensive tackle and they could use more help out on the edge in replacing Marcus Davenport if they don’t believe Payton Turner is ready. If the same lack of confidence surrounds Zack Baun at linebacker, a second-level defender to pair with Pete Werner when Demario Davis retires in a year or two would make a lot of sense.
And few teams value depth in the secondary like the Saints. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if they pick a safety or cornerback with lots of experience covering the slot. They haven’t found an adequate replacement for C.J. Gardner-Johnson in that role, and instability there plagued them throughout the 2022 season. It’s something to monitor as the draft draws closer. Shook is right to put a spotlight on the shaky state of the Saints defensive roster. Hopefully they can continue to reload and be a strength of the team.
