The New Orleans Saints linebacker corps is led by Demario Davis. The Saints have primarily run 2 linebacker sets, and who will line up beside him is the unknown. Willie Gay Jr. or Pete Werner. Pro Football Focus predicted the latter as they rank the Saints linebacker unit as the ninth-best in pro football.
This could be because Davis is just that good. Will it be Werner or Gay? Who knows, but Demario Davis is the pillar of consistency. Davis gives the linebacker corps has a high floor, as long as he sustains his level of play, and his running mate will decide the ceiling. Here’s why PFF’s Gordon McGuinness is so high on them:
Demario Davis, 35, will eventually start to decline, but not yet. He has now put together six straight seasons of earning a 75.0-plus PFF grade. Willie Gay joined the Saints in free agency, and while he endured his lowest-graded season in the NFL last year, he has proven himself to be a solid player in the past.
The sentiment of the free agent taking the lead seems to be gaining steam nationally. When speaking about the unit, Werner feels like the man left out of the conversation despite not feeling like the odd man out in reality. He was playing ahead of Gay at minicamp, but Gay was getting plenty of looks in passing situations in team drills.
There’s a genuine battle at that spot, and it’s hard to say who has the lead at the moment. If it does end as Demario Davis and Willie Gay, PFF believes that gives the Saints a top-10 unit.
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