The New Orleans Saints defense was the strength of the team for much of their 2023 season, but the unit still had some vulnerabilities that were exposed against quality opponents. With much of the roster and coaching staff returning for 2024, it’s going to be important for New Orleans to shore up those deficiencies and take pressure off of Derek Carr’s offense.
But where to start? Here’s a quick look at the 10 lowest-graded Saints players on defense (minimum 100 snaps) from Pro Football Focus. It speaks to the quality of the unit that even some of their lower-rated players are grading out as above-average next to standards around the league:
10
CB Marshon Lattimore
PFF grade: 67.4
9
S Jordan Howden
PFF grade: 67.0
8
S Lonnie Johnson Jr.
PFF grade: 62.7
7
DT Khalen Saunders
PFF grade: 61.6
6
S Marcus Maye
PFF grade: 57.6
5
LB Pete Werner
PFF grade: 57.5
4
S Johnathan Abram
PFF grade: 57.1
3
DT Nathan Shepherd
PFF grade: 47.5
2
CB Alontae Taylor
PFF grade: 45.7
1
DT Bryan Bresee
PFF grade: 45.5
