Who would you say was the New Orleans Saints’ most-improved player in 2022? Our pick went to right guard Cesar Ruiz, who finally began to look like a former first-round pick under tutelage of his new position coach Doug Marrone. Another choice would be tight end Juwan Johnson, who broke out to lead the team with seven touchdown receptions.
But here’s another suggestion from Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness. After posting a league-average grade of 63.2 in 2021, defensive end Carl Granderson improved to an impressive 80.4 player grade for the 2022 season. McGuinness shared some insight on that leap in performance and what makes Granderson the Saints’ most-improved player:
“An undrafted free agent out of Wyoming in 2019, Granderson had a monster year against the run, with his 84.4 PFF run-defense grade the second-highest mark among all edge defenders in the NFL. Eight of his 22 pressures were sacks, and he registered 34 tackles resulting in a defensive stop.”
Granderson finished the year as the starting defensive end opposite Cameron Jordan, playing ahead of two recent first-round draft picks in Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner down the stretch. While his stronger numbers as a pass rusher are what’s driving his improved defensive rating, Granderson is also holding up better against the run than we saw early in his career. He’s worked hard to bulk up and adjust to the NFL, and that diligence is paying off.
Now he enters the 2023 offseason as, on paper, a defensive starter. Whether he’ll retain that status remains to be seen. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Saints invest another high draft pick in the position should Davenport leave in free agency or if the coaching staff is pessimistic on Turner’s growth; like many teams, they rotate their pass rushers often through games, so it’s better to have multiple viable players in the group.
Another interesting note: Granderson signed a two-year extension last year rather than a typical one-year contract for an exclusive rights free agent, which means he’s on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2024. That was a sign of the team’s belief in his career trajectory and it also helps keep some stability at defensive end going into 2023. In addition to Davenport, Tanoh Kpassagnon is a backup headed for free agency. Knowing Granderson is under contract makes losing one (or both) of those players a little more acceptable.
