There might not be another player who made the most of his contract year with the New Orleans Saints in 2022 than Kaden Elliss. The veteran linebacker has been cast as a backup since being drafted out of Idaho back in 2019, logging more snaps on special teams (880) than defense (826) in his Saints career. But he got his opportunity to show what he can do when starting linebacker Pete Werner missed a large chunk of the 2022 season with an injury, and now Elliss has the Saints facing a really difficult decision.
Can they afford to let him get out of the building? Demario Davis is likely to retire within the next couple of years, but Elliss won’t be starting if Davis and Werner both return for 2023. It would be nice to make a clean transition from Davis-and-Werner to Werner-and-Elliss, but that’s not going to be an easy trick to pull off. With the Saints still running few three-linebacker looks, odds are Elliss will have other opportunities to start in free agency. Let’s recap his 2022 campaign and forecast his future in 2023: