Tag: Bryan Bresee

Mickey Loomis clarifies Dennis Allen’s statement on young players

Mickey Loomis used Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis as examples of how good young players can develop into great talents, and stars, with time:

Dennis Allen recently said the New Orleans Saints don’t have any great young players, instead saying they have “young guys who are developing.” It was an odd comment for a head coach to make about his team, even when taken in context of the conversation.

So Saints general manager Mickey Loomis stepped in to expand on Allen’s comments by comparing young players to Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis. Those two players didn’t blossom into stars immediately.

Loomis pointed to the beginning of their careers, specifically the first four years where their tackles, sacks, and postseason honors were more pedestrian. It took some time but both Jordan and Davis developed into great players with the records and Pro Bowls to back it up. He then pointed to players such as Chris Olave, Bryan Bresee, Taliese Fuaga and Alontae Taylor as some of the players who could follow that same career arc.

While those players may not be stars yet, Loomis believes they could ascend and begin to get more accolades in the next four to five years similarly to Jordan and Davis.

Loomis ended up naming nearly every prominent young player on the team, but he understands they can’t all be stars. “Will they all do that? No. That’d be unrealistic. We don’t expect that. But certainly we have a lot of guys, and there’s others as well, who have that opportunity.”

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Saints improve the NFL’s worst defense in this 2025 mock draft

The Saints improved the NFL’s worst defense in this 2025 mock draft. Michigan’s big defensive tackle Kenneth Grant may be just who they need next to Bryan Bresee:

No NFL team has given up more yards this season than the New Orleans Saints (2,375), and while much of that has been due to a surprisingly porous pass defense (1,573 yards allowed, third-most), plenty of blame should go to a run defense that’s been a weakness throughout the Dennis Allen era. The Saints are allowing 5.2 yards per carry, second-worst around the league.

So how do they fix it? This 2025 mock draft has a suggestion. Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy has the Saints picking Michigan’s big defensive tackle Kenneth Grant at No. 9 overall. He may be just who they need next to Bryan Bresee.

Grant arrived on campus at an imposing 350 pounds and slimmed down to a more-manageable 339, and he’s one of the best all-around athletes in college football. Michigan has sent plenty of defensive linemen to the NFL but the 20-year-old has broken many of their weight room records while impressing the Wolverines’ strength and conditioning staff.

Whether or not it’s Allen conducting the Saints defense again in 2025, the interior line will need more attention. It’s mostly been a one-man show from Bresee outside of occasional stops by Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders’ impressive interception return (which really isn’t something we should expect from a nose tackle). Rookie draft pick Khristian Boyd has been benched in favor of John Ridgeway III, who the Saints traded for just before the season started.

Someone like Grant could absolutely be in play for next year’s draft. Beyond stopping the run, it’s impressive that he can get after the quarterback (5.5 career sacks) and disrupt passing lanes (9 balls batted down at the line of scrimmage) from a spot that those kind of numbers are hard to come by. But this team has a lot of problems to solve, and it’s too soon to say whether this is the direction they’ll move first.

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WATCH: Cameron Jordan snags his third career interception

Cameron Jordan grabbed a Baker Mayfield interception off of a deflected pass from his teammate Bryan Bresee. It was his third career INT:

The New Orleans Saints got another clutch takeaway near the end of the first half, with Bryan Bresee tipping a pass up into the air and Cameron Jordan pulling it down. It was the third interception thrown by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, though two of them were deflected passes.

This marked the third interception of Jordan’s career as well, with the other two coming in 2014 and 2017, despite having a whopping 62 pass deflections in his career to this point.

His team needed it. The Saints entered halftime up 27-24 after starting the second quarter down 17-0, and the defense’s success was a large part of that. It felt like every play with them on the field had been a 50/50 chance at being a large gain for the Buccaneers, or the Saints quickly getting off the field. They’ll need more stops and takeaways like this to win the day.

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Saints’ scouts have attended back-to-back Clemson games

The New Orleans Saints have had scouts including Jeff Ireland at the last two Clemson football matchups against Stanford and Florida State:

The New Orleans Saints scouting department is always out in force throughout the year, and sometimes you can get an idea of who they are looking at based on where their scouts are seen. They’re already hard at work  assembling the team’s big board of prospects for thee 2025 NFL draft.

In the last two weeks, they have been seen at Clemson matchups. Firstly, Jeff Ireland was in the press box for Clemson versus Stanford on Sept. 28 per Tiger Illustrated’s Toby Corriston. Then there were scouts from the Saints at Doak Campbell Stadium to watch Florida State against Clemson, per The State Newspaper’s Chapel Fowler.

These two matchups ended in wins for the Clemson Tigers, which, depending on whether or not the Saints were specifically there to see them or not, could be a good indication for their scouting process of certain players. As of now, some of the top prospects from Clemson are:

  • RT Blake Miller (No. 55 on PFF big board)
  • LB Barrett Carter (No. 82 on PFF big board)
  • QB Cade Klubnik (No. 161 on PFF big board)
  • TE Jake Briningstool (No. 185 on PFF big board)

Each of these positions could be positions of need no doubt, especially tight end as the production from that position has been less than expected this season. All of these four players also fit into the usual height weight metrics for the Saints, especially so for Blake Miller who registers in at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds. We will see how this progresses throughout the season and if they are seen again at Clemson, as they recently dipped into the Tigers’ talent pool in 2023 taking Bryan Bresee.

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What is keeping the Saints defense from being elite?

The New Orleans Saints’ struggles along the defensive line are holding them back. They’ve got to make more plays up front to join the league elite:

The New Orleans Saints defense has been the backbone of this team for a while now. It became more prominent after Drew Brees retired. The revolving door of quarterbacks mixed with the absence of Michael Thomas.

At that point, the defense transitioned into being the face of the team. Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore and Tyrann Mathieu are three of the biggest names on the team.

The unit has been elite for years, but that isn’t the case anymore. Why?

Outside of Carl Granderson and Bryan Bresee, there’s no other defensive linemen you can count on. The defensive line is a weak point of the defense and is one of the weakest parts of the team.

The lack of pressure on the quarterback allows them to sit back in the pocket and attack the secondary. Quarterbacks haven’t been forced into many rushed decisions because of pass rush. The Saints’ run defense has waned over the years as well.

If you struggle in the trenches, it’s near impossible to be great on that side of the ball. That goes for offense and defense. The Saints inability to close out games is the biggest headline, but they’ve had their struggles mid game.

The Saints have played bend but don’t break defense. The Eagles and Falcons drove the ball down the field repeatedly, and the Saints forced field goals. The struggles along the defensive line are the biggest contributing factor to this. There’s only so long you can bend but not break.

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Saints announce inactive players for Week 2 game vs. Cowboys

The New Orleans Saints announced their list of inactive players for Week 2’s game with the Dallas Cowboys:

The New Orleans Saints are looking for their second victory in a row and start 2-0 for the second consecutive season. After knocking off the Carolina Panthers, the Saints take on a bigger challenge in the Dallas Cowboys.

Bryan Bresee, Taliese Fuaga and Marshon Lattimore were prominent players who were listed as questionable. Bresee and Fuaga will play but Lattimore is inactive. The Saints ruled out two other players for the contest earlier in the week

Spencer Rattler will continue to be the third emergency quarterback. He’ll be dressed out, but he won’t count as an active player. He only comes into the game if Derek Carr and Jake Haener are injured.

Here are the inactive list from each team:

New Orleans Saints inactive players:

  • LB D’Marco Jackson (calf)
  • LB Jaylan Ford (hamstring)
  • DT Khalen Saunders (calf)
  • QB Spencer Rattler (emergency third quarterback)
  • LB Jaylan Ford (hamstring)
  • TE Dallin Holker (ankle)
  • WR A.T. Perry (hand)

Dallas Cowboys inactive players:

  • TE John Stephens (hamstring)
  • TE Jake Ferguson (knee)
  • QB Trey Lance (emergency third quarterback)
  • CB Andrew Booth
  • LB Buddy Johnson
  • WR Ryan Flournoy
  • OT Matt Waletzko

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Saints seeing growth from Bryan Bresee to become a three-down player

Dennis Allen spoke about Bryan Bresee’s improved run defense and conditioning, laying out what the Saints are looking for from Bresee in Year 2:

This was a cool development — Bryan Bresee started the New Orleans Saints preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers at defensive tackle over Khaulen Saunders, and Dennis Allen was asked about the decision after the game.

Allen’s response signified growth within Bresee. It sounds like he is inching closer to being a three-down player.

“He’s been a little bit more improved as a run player,” Allen told reporters. That’s what is needed for Bresee. He entered the league as a good pass rusher. His spin move was the talk of last year’s preseason.

Even in Sunday’s game his pass rush capabilities were shown as the second year defensive tackle harassed Brock Purdy to affect the throw. The better Bresee can play the run the easier it is to keep him on the field at all times.

Playing every down is about more than ability, though. Bresee has to be able to remain on the field with proper injury. Allen alluded to this by saying, “He’s a player we have to work to get him into the best football shape he can be in because when he’s rested and feeling good he’s a pretty good player.”

Allen wants Bresee to stay on the field for three to seven plays while maintaining a consistent level of performance. That relates back to conditioning.

That’s part of the reason Bresee remained in the game during the San Francisco two minute drive at the end of the first quarter. If he can continue to improve on his run defense and stay in great shape, Bresee has the potential to be a force in the defensive interior.

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Saints players try their hands at the viral grip test after training camp practice

New Orleans Saints players tried their hands at the viral grip test challenge after training camp practice. Who has the strongest hands on the team?

A little fun never hurts anybody, especially during the rigors of training camp. And who doesn’t want bragging rights for having the strongest hands on the team?

The New Orleans Saints social media team brought out the grip test after a recent practice session, which allowed for some fun competition for the guys. It’s a viral trend going around the league; the Philadelphia Eagles have also shared their results.

A variety of position groups competed here, starting with many of the defensive linemen all the way to kicker Blake Grupe, which brought some good laughs given his smaller stature. One thing that was interesting was tight end Foster Moreau getting the highest score reaching the 200 number. This surpassed guys like Chase Young, Willie Gay Jr., Carl Granderson and Bryan Bresee who we would assume due to their build and the nature of their position, would receive the higher numbers.

Of this exercise though, maybe the most enjoyable part was the players’ reactions. Hearing many of the guys screaming and yelling like they’re in the weight room is hilarious. Small things like this are what allows players to bond with each other outside of the game, and it’s great to see the many smiles on their faces at such an arduous time of the year.

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Bryan Bresee missed Day 4 of Saints training camp with a foot injury

Bryan Bresee missed Saturday’s training camp practice. Dennis Allen declined to give a timetable for return but said Bresee is ‘dealing with a foot injury’

Bryan Bresee was one of five players who weren’t seen at Day 4 of New Orleans Saints training camp. After practice, Allen said the second-year player is “dealing with a foot injury.”

There was no inkling Bresee was hurt after Friday’s practice, so time will tell how severe the injury is. This could have been a minor issue that he’s being held out for as a precaution. He did have a bit of an injury history in college at Clemson. Right now, Allen isn’t giving any extra information.

That isn’t specific to Bresee either. Many want to know about the extent or timeline surrounding star cornerback Marshon Lattimore. When asked, Allen said, he’s “not going to get into time frames for (Lattimore) or anybody in terms of when guys will be back.”

Whether the team has the full picture on some of these injuries or not, Allen is keeping the information close to the vest. It would be dangerous, from our position, to project a timeline for Bresee without knowing his exact injury. The Saints have a day off before putting on the pads Monday. We’ll look to see if Bresee or Lattimore returns in the days ahead.

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Saints shut out of ESPN’s top defensive tackle rankings

Bryan Bresee had a strong rookie year with the New Orleans Saints, but it wasn’t enough to make ESPN’s list of the best defensive tackles:

ESPN’s series polling dozens of anonymous NFL sources to rank the best players at every position continued this week with the defensive tackles, but there  wasn’t a single New Orleans Saints player on the list — not inside the top-10, nor even as an honorable mention.

The Saints overhauled their defensive tackles last year by signing Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders while drafting Bryan Bresee, letting David Onyemata walk away in free agency in the process. But the group didn’t work out as well as hoped, with the Saints allowing the 11th-most rushing yards around the league.

Still, getting snubbed on this list is disappointing given Bresee’s strong rookie year. He made a big impact on passing downs by setting a new team record for sacks among first-year defensive tackles (4.5), and he almost broke the team record for passes batted down at the line of scrimmage (6), too. He also had a couple of sacks nullified by penalties. His 31 quarterback pressures were fourth-most on the team per Pro Football Focus charting.

So how can he improve in 2024 and make this list next year? Bresee must become a more impactful run defender. He was shoved around too easily in that phase last season and the coaching staff made an effort to limit his exposure when opponents were planning to run at him. Of the 15 Saints defenders who logged 400 or more total snaps, only Tanoh Kpassagnon played fewer run defense snaps (139) than Bresee (148). Improving his lower body strength to better anchor against advancing blockers will do a lot to help him stay on the field more often and make more plays.

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