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It’s tough to recall the last time the New Orleans Saints defense was filled with so many playmakers at every level. Cameron Jordan is the star up front, anchoring a defensive line featuring former first-round draft picks like Marcus Davenport, Sheldon Rankins, and Malcom Brown.
The secondary returns a lot of continuity from 2019, with two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore joined by NFL veterans Janoris Jenkins and Malcolm Jenkins. Youngsters Marcus Williams and C.J. Gardner-Johnson round out the group.
And patrolling the middle of the field is Demario Davis, one of the game’s best three-down linebackers. A tough training camp competition will decide who runs next to him with the first team defense, but the Saints have solid options in rookie draft pick Zack Baun and returning starters Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso.
It’s enough for Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire to rank the Saints inside the NFL’s top-10 defenses, writing:
The 2019 Saints were one of eight teams to limit their opponents to under 100 rushing yards per game — at 91.3 yards per game, New Orleans ranked fourth in the league. The Saints also ranked third in the NFL with 51 sacks, and fifth with a pressure rate of 26.4%. The only real downturn was in a secondary that allowed far too many big plays, and was saved in a relative sense by cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who they picked up late in the season after the Giants waived him.
Rookie defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson proved to be a fourth-round steal with his effective versatility, and Marcus Williams had an outstanding year at free safety, but the cornerback combo of P.J. Williams, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, and D.J. Swearinger gave up 18 touchdowns and intercepted two passes. That’s not going to work in today’s NFL. The Saints wisely extended Jenkins through the 2022 season.
The Saints defense may have outplayed their teammates on offense in the playoffs the last three years — allowing 24.2 points per game, with Drew Brees’ high-powered offense averaging just 23.6 and scoring 30-plus only once — but both units must find more consistency in the clutch if they’re going to win an elusive second Super Bowl.
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