How do you replace the player that led your team in defensive snaps a year ago? We’re about to find out as the New Orleans Saints are now charged with that task as two-time Super Bowl champion Malcolm Jenkins has announced his retirement. This happens in the same offseason that New Orleans must also replace their second-leading defensive snap-getter in Marcus Williams.
That leaves the Saints in a precarious position at safety, though newly-signed Marcus Maye should fill Williams’s role well. (Worth mentioning he may miss some time to start the season following a 2021 DUI arrest.) But replacing Jenkins, one of the NFL’s ironmen and highly-respected team leader, is going to be a tall task. Here are five ways the Saints can try to make up for the loss.