JACKSON: Saints upcoming changes on defense could maximize talent and avoid past pitfalls

By Ross Jackson

All of the attention to the New Orleans Saints this offseason has been rightfully focused on the open head coach position. However, the team will also be undergoing its first defensive system overhaul since former coach Dennis Allen took control of the unit in 2015. 

After multiple successful years as the Saints’ defensive coordinator, the struggles on that side of the ball were exponential after he was promoted to head coach. 

This year, New Orleans will see new faces at several of its top coaching positions. One that could bring about the most intelligible change and impact will be at defensive coordinator. 

With a new scheme in tow, the Saints could avoid some of their previous pitfalls that have come to define the unit more than their less-recent success. 

For instance, a change of scheme from a multiple front to a 3-4 approach would add more speed and athleticism off of the edge, thanks to stand-up speed rushers. 

In the past, such an adjustment would have allowed an investment like 2020 third-round pick Zack Baun to play to his strengths—strengths that made him a Defensive Player of the Year finalist with the Philadelphia Eagles just one year after leaving New Orleans.

The team could also be positively impacted from changing roles on defense. Adding roles that maximize sideline-to-sideline athleticism at the second level in 2024 would have maximized the talents of free agent addition linebacker Willie Gay Jr. in 2024, for instance. Such a reframe could help New Orleans better defend mobile quarterbacks, lessening the damage of late-down scrambles. 

The prototypes of big-bodied defensive ends have led New Orleans to drafting unrefined and raw pass rushers early in the selection process. Rethinking those investments could go a long way, but would necessitate a recalibration of what molds fit best in the system. If the new scheme requires a style of edge defender that more successfully translates from college to the NFL, those benefits could lead New Orleans to seeing more immediate impact from its investments. 

A lot of change is on the way for New Orleans and some of those changes could help the team avoid missed opportunities they’ve experienced in the past, with new additions and developmental opportunities.