Don’t look now, but Bryan Bresee is already closing in on an impressive New Orleans Saints franchise record. He recorded his fifth pass deflection during Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears — and it’s only Week 9. That’s more passes defensed than Cameron Jordan had his rookie year. It’s also more passes batted down than Bresee had in his college career at Clemson (4). The first-year pro is doing a great job of staying alert and getting his hands up to clog passing lanes at the line of scrimmage.
The stat has only been tracked since 1999, so keep that in mind, but Bresee is rapidly climbing the team record books. Here’s how he stacks up against other Saints defensive linemen during their rookie years:
- 7 – Darren Howard (2000)
- 5 – Bryan Bresee (2023)
- 4 – Charles Grant (2002), Sedrick Ellis (2008), Cameron Jordan (2011), and Shy Tuttle (2019)
And, again, that’s just among defensive linemen. Expand the list to all defenders and Bresee is tied with Tracy Porter (2008) and Stephone Anthony (2015) for the 11th-most pass breakups in Saints history. He’ll likely slow down in the second half of the season, but you never know. If he can keep it up and double his production he’ll break into the top-four behind fan-favorites like Delvin Breaux (19), Marshon Lattimore (18), and Alontae Taylor (11), all defensive backs.
Hopefully he can keep it up. The Saints have relied heavily on Bresee early this season and he’s rewarded them with consistent pressure and impact plays like this on passing downs. He does need to continue to work on his run defense, struggling to anchor and often playing with his pads too high, but he’s been a big positive for a Saints defensive front that’s actively rebuilding itself. He’s off to a very promising start for his pro football career. Let’s see if he can sustain it.
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