Tag: Carl Granderson

ESPN suggests Saints could move a starter at the NFL trade deadline

If they keep losing, ESPN suggests the New Orleans Saints could move a starter at the NFL trade deadline. But would they trade Chase Young?

If they keep losing, ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler suggested the New Orleans Saints could move a starter at the NFL trade deadline. But would they trade Chase Young? That would be the clearest signal Mickey Loomis could send that his team is going in the tank, but you can’t imagine that’s something head coach Dennis Allen would sign off on.

Still, never say never. Teams like the Detroit Lions are desperate for a pass rusher after losing Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg. Here’s the case for dealing Young at the Nov. 5 trade deadline from ESPN:

Graziano: What about Chase Young? The Saints really like the guy and could be interested in signing him to a long-term deal, but if they check in and don’t feel good about their chances of doing that, could he be on the move for the second deadline in a row?

Fowler: That’s not a bad call. Young signed a one-year deal with New Orleans in hopes of parlaying it into a new contract with the team. With the Saints sitting at 2-4, perhaps the organization would listen to offers closer to the deadline. I’d be mildly surprised if anything happens. Young garnered a third-round pick in last year’s trade from Washington to San Francisco, and now that he’s fully healthy and playing productive snaps, I would surmise New Orleans wouldn’t accept anything less in a deal, if it even considers it.

It feels unlikely. While they haven’t reflected it on the weekly depth chart, Young has replaced Cameron Jordan in the starting lineup. Young has taken almost all of the snaps from the right defensive end spot, with Carl Granderson playing ahead of Jordan on the left side. He’s become a critically important player for the Saints up front.

Young may not have the sacks (1.5 in 6 games) but he generates a ton of pressure and demands attention from the offensive line. His 25 quarterback pressures at Pro Football Focus rank ninth-most at defensive end. Granderson has had 26 pressures, which are fourth-most. Jordan ranks 49th with 11.

If you read the writing on the wall and look at the salary cap sheet, it sure looks like the Saints are hoping Young can be the long-term replacement for Jordan. This could be the last year for No. 94 if he chooses to retire and start a full-time career in football media. Jordan’s cap hit next year is over $20 million but just $9 million of it is guaranteed. The math is pretty simple there.

Still, Young will be a free agent in 2025, and the best compensation the Saints could hope for if he leaves is a third-round pick in 2026. It’s certainly possible things deteriorate so badly this season that they decide to trade him, get a third rounder (or better) a year sooner, and then restart the search for Jordan’s replacement. But it sure would be more convenient if that guy were already in the building making plays across from Granderson.

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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’ big defensive ends will be key in stopping Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson is looking to run outside the tackles, so Carl Granderson and Chase Young will be key to the Saints stopping the Falcons’ leading rusher:

The defensive ends will be a critical part of helping the New Orleans Saints stop Atlanta Falcons’ running back Bijan Robinson. When you think about containing a running back, you typically think of linebackers. Their job got more difficult with Demario Davis ruled out, but they’ll need the help of Carl Granderson and Chase Young.

Robinson likes to gets around the corner, and he’s extremely productive when he does. The running back has 196 yards on the season, and 155 of them are from runs outside the tackle. If you expand that range to Robinson’s career, he’s racked up 950 yards outside the tackle. Only Christian McCaffrey has more yardage since Robinson came to the NFL.

Robinson is looking to stretch the defense, and the play-side tackles are going to attempt to hook the defensive ends inside.

Granderson and Young are athletic players. If they can shed their blockers, they should do a good job turning Robinson back inwards. That’s where Willie Gay and Pete Werner should be to finish the play.

Continuing to force Robinson horizontal is also effective. Granderson and Young’s ability to keep Robinson from getting outside and down hill is key. If they can consistently force him to the sidelines or back towards hell then they’ve done their job.

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Carl Granderson tied for second-most QB pressures going into Week 4

Carl Granderson is tied for the second-most QB pressures going into Week 4. The Saints’ breakout star from 2023 has picked up where he left off in 2024:

Take a bow, Carl Granderson. Pro Football Focus charting found that the New Orleans Saints defensive end is tied for the second-most quarterback pressures around the NFL going into Week 4. The Saints’ breakout playmaker from 2023 has picked up where he left off in 2024.

Like Granderson, Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons also has 18 pressures through the first three weeks, and only Detroit Lions fan-favorite Aidan Hutchinson has more (25). And Granderson is consistently producing. He had three pressures in Week 1, eight of them in Week 2, and seven more in Week 3. Officially, Granderson has been credited with 3.0 sacks this season after notching 1.5 sacks in each of his last two games. But PFF gives full credit for half-sacks, so by their tracking he’s up to 4.0 of them.

Hopefully he can sustain this pace. Chase Young isn’t far behind with 15 pressures but unlike Granderson he isn’t finishing many pass-rush attempts with sacks. And after those two, no other Saints defender has more than 5 pressures on the season thus far. That’s disappointing. Hopefully someone like Cameron Jordan or Bryan Breseee steps up against the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday so Granderson and Young aren’t shouldering the load alone.

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After 3 games, it’s clear Saints are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role

After three games, it’s clear the New Orleans Saints coaching staff are reducing Cameron Jordan’s role. It just comes down to who can make the most plays:

Did you know Cameron Jordan played the second-fewest snaps in a game of his career on Sunday? The New Orleans Saints defensive end was on the field for just 20 snaps while taking a backseat to younger teammates Carl Granderson (55) and Chase Young (53) against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jordan managed just 17 snaps in last year’s game with the Detroit Lions — his first since suffering a serious ankle injury, and that remains his career-low. He played 27 snaps in Week 1 (46% of the total) and 34 reps in Week 2 (49%), but that count dropped to 20 (28%) in Week 3.

Jordan was the best player on his side of the ball in New Orleans for more than a decade. But those days are behind us, and the Saints are making adjustments to cope with their new reality. Just ask head coach Dennis Allen.

“I think you’re gonna see more of Chase and Carl,” Allen said Monday, pointing out that those two have been too effective to keep off the field. The other side of that coin is that Jordan hasn’t been effective enough to take snaps from them.

Father Time is undefeated. He’s beaten Drew Brees and Jordan’s own father Steve Jordan, who found great success in 13 years with the Minnesota Vikings. Anyone who has watched Jordan play in recent years has known this day was coming. He only had two sacks last season. Jordan had 8.5 sacks the year before but five of them came in two games.

The signs of his decline have been there for those willing to acknowledge them. It’s why the Saints have poured so many resources into defensive end searching for his successor — signing Young in free agency, developing and extending Granderson, and spending high draft picks on guys like Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey. It’s just a shame so few of those players have stepped up into the vacuum created by Jordan’s decline.

Between rotating in other players more heavily and moving him inside to defensive tackle occasionally, the Saints are trying to find ways for Jordan to continue helping the team. He’s under contract through 2025 but we’re clearly approaching the end of the line. And whenever Jordan hangs up his cleats to pick up a microphone for a job in the media, we’ll be ready to support his Hall of Fame candidacy.

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Carl Granderson ranks top-15 in this key pass rushing stat from ESPN

ESPN’s pass rush win rate stat puts Carl Granderson among the best in the NFL this season. He’s leading the charge at defensive end:

The New Orleans Saints have a few key players that have contributed to their success so far this season, and one such player is defensive end Carl Granderson. Granderson, while looking at counting stats has not been exceptional yet, has been very good at generating pressure and winning against his opponent in the pass rush.

According to the ESPN analysis of these statistics, Granderson ranks 14th in the league at pass rush win rate, with a success rate of 24% on 46 plays (the most plays of anyone in the top 20). He also has the fourth-highest double-team rate of any player in the top 20 at 25%, behind only Trey Hendrickson, Chris Jones, and Myles Garrett, all high-level players. For reference, he ranks between Joey Bosa and T.J. Watt for pass rush win rate, among other players like DeMarcus Lawrence, Danielle Hunter, Brian Burns, and Jonathan Greenard.

Many have seen the impressive rise of Granderson over the past few seasons, as he has continued to get better and become a staple of this Saints defensive front four, but this season could end up being the one where he truly breaks out if he can end up finishing some of his rushes and taking down the quarterback more often.

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Chase Young makes an instant impact in Saints debut

Chase Young registered six pressures in his first game with the Saints according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Disruption is production:

The New Orleans Saints brought Chase Young in with one clear intention in mind: amplify the pass rush. In his first game with the Black and Gold, he achieved this objective. It’s admittedly a small sample size against a poor Carolina Panthers offensive line, but so far he has done what the Saints brought him in to do.

You may look at the box score and question this sentiment because Young didn’t register a sack. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, however, Young recorded six pressures. That was the best on the team and better than double the next closest player on the team.

This is the desired effect everyone hoped for. Pressures are like the forgotten child of the pass rush family at times, but they help tell the full story of how well a player is getting after the quarterback. Disruption is production.

Those pressures will need to turn into sacks eventually, but for the season debut it’s a good start.

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Key matchups for Panthers vs. Saints in Week 1

Saints DE Carl Granderson ripped through the Panthers for 10 pressures, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble in 2023. LT Ikem Ekwonu must keep him at bay in Week 1.

The Carolina Panthers will have to claim a few battles to win the war against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Here are four key matchups for this weekend’s regular-season opener between the NFC South rivals:

WR Diontae Johnson vs. CB Marshon Lattimore

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers have a few new toys on offense, including Johnson. The former Pro Bowler, who is one of the best pure separators in football, will serve as the unit’s go-to target and give Young an element of openness he didn’t always have last season.

When it comes to New Orleans, go-to targets go through Lattimore—who was not in uniform the only time Johnson has faced the Saints. That contest came in 2022, when Johnson went for 63 yards on four receptions against Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor—the other two featured corners who are still in the secondary.

LT Ikem Ekwonu vs. DE Carl Granderson

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

For Young to find Johnson and the rest of his pass catchers, he’ll have to avoid Granderson—who was an absolute menace against Carolina in 2023. The 27-year-old accounted for 10 pressures, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble between their two meetings.

Much of that pressure was charged to Ekwonu. The former sixth overall pick can begin to put a mediocre second campaign behind him with a little redemption at the start of his third.

Panthers OLBs vs. Saints OTs

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina’s defense is headed into Week 1 with very few, if any answers to their pass-rushing problems. Other than 11th-year veteran Jadeveon Clowney, the Panthers are carrying only three (very inexperienced) outside linebackers on the active roster—DJ Johnson, Eku Leota and Jamie Sheriff.

Luckily for them, the Saints have a little inexperience of their own on the blindside with rookie and 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga. They’ll also be rolling out starting right tackle Trevor Penning, who has had a very rough go in the NFL over his brief two-year career.

Something may (or may not) have to give here.

CB Mike Jackson vs. WR A.T. Perry

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

In addition to the second edge spot, the Panthers will have to figure out who will step up as the No. 2 cornerback next to Jaycee Horn. Mike Jackson, who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 22, will seemingly get the first crack at the job.

He has to make sure Perry, an ascending young talent for New Orleans, doesn’t make himself a smooth criminal on Sunday.

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Saints pick a pass rusher in final preseason 2025 mock draft

The New Orleans Saints could be looking for defensive line help again next season. Saints draft Mykel Williams in B/R 2025 mock draft

The New Orleans Saints open their season against the Carolina Panthers in just a matter of days. Before we completely focus on the upcoming year, let’s take one last look at a 2025 mock draft.

Bleacher Report’s scouting department projected the Saints will end with the 10th overall pick in next year’s draft and draft Georgia’s Mykel Williams, one of the most exciting pass rushers in this draft class.

The position is completely feasible. Chase Young will likely leave after the season. Carl Granderson is the team’s lead pass rusher. Instead of looking for Cameron Jordan’s running mate, they would be looking for his replacement. A major turn of events

There are two points in their explanation that are off-putting specifically in regards to selecting Williams.

“Williams is more of a traits prospect who has impressive strength at the point of attack to collapse the pocket as a pass-rusher than he is a finished product. But he’d be a good addition for the future of New Orleans’ defense,” wrote B/R’s Matt Holder.

The Saints don’t need that type of player in the top-10. New Orleans has had their struggles defending the run, but that area of the draft is meant for pass rushers. That’s what the Saints would need draft an impact rusher in this portion.

Been there, done that. If Williams can return from injury to have a productive season rushing the passer then this conversation changes. For now, the description provided doesn’t feel like the best pick for the Saints with the tenth overall selection.

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Saints share unofficial depth chart for Week 1 vs. Panthers

The New Orleans Saints shared their unofficial depth chart for Week 1’s kickoff game with the Carolina Panthers:

The New Orleans Saints shared their unofficial depth chart for Week 1’s kickoff game with the Carolina Panthers. What’s new? What checks out based on what we’ve seen over the summer? Here’s our first look.

There aren’t too many surprises, but a few things do stand out. Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill are listed as the starters at tight end, ahead of Juwan Johnson. That makes sense given how much time he missed this offseason recovering from foot surgery.

On the other side of the ball, it’s Jordan Howden projected to start at safety next to Tyrann Mathieu, not Will Harris or Johnathan Abram, who both played ahead of him throughout the preseason.

And there are two positions hit with the controversial “or” designation: defensive end and quarterback. Either Carl Granderson or Chase Young is penciled in to start across from Cameron Jordan, while the backup quarterback will be either Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler.

In the former case, it’s probably a situation where the Saints don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers and label either deserving veteran the starting right defensive end. In the latter case, they want the young quarterbacks to keep pushing each other and prove why they should be the next man up if Derek Carr has to miss any time.

Now with that said, it’s important to remember this depth chart is unofficial and created by the media relations staff, not the coaches or anyone in the front office. It’s a projection not a set-in-stone lineup. What we see on Sunday may look different but the broad strokes should remain the same. See for yourself, and remember that starters’ names are emboldened while rookies are underlined:

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