Tag: Carl Granderson

Saints should pounce after Bears grant DE Trevis Gipson’s trade request

The Bears have given veteran DE Trevis Gipson permission to seek a trade, and the Saints would be a great landing-spot:

This could be a great fit: ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Chicago Bears have given veteran defensive end Trevis Gipson permission to seek a trade, and the New Orleans Saints would be a great landing-spot. The fourth-year pro has 10 sacks and 5 forced fumbles through his first three years and 40 games in the NFL, and the Saints don’t have a lot to hang their hats on at defensive end. Gipson’s pressure totals in each of the last two years would have ranked top-five in New Orleans.

Cameron Jordan’s production has slowed down in the final years of his career. Carl Granderson is facing high expectations as a part-time player promoted to the starting lineup. Payton Turner is finally healthy and practicing well but he needs to prove he can sustain it in games. Rookie draft pick Isaiah Foskey doesn’t appear to be in line for a big role this fall, which is typical for Saints defensive ends.

Go further down the depth chart and you’ve got guys like Niko Lalos and Kyle Phillips competing for a spot on the practice squad. Veteran backup Tanoh Kpassagnon has been taking practice reps over guards and centers, helping to bolster the defensive tackles depth chart and find ways to get him on the field. The Saints could use a proven commodity like Gipson.

Gipson, 26, was a fifth-round pick out of Tulsa back in the 2020 draft. He meets the athletic thresholds the Saints look for at 6-foot-3 and 263 pounds, with an unofficial 9.36 Relative Athletic Score. Fowler adds that Gipson “could be looking to get back to a 3-4 scheme” and the Saints have run enough three-man fronts in recent years to keep him happy.

New Orleans lacks a reliable starter on top of the depth chart opposite Jordan. Granderson has had a productive summer, but he’s averaged just 24.7 snaps per game in his career. Gipson has averaged 34.2 snaps per game the last two years in Chicago’s starting lineup. And like Granderson, he’ll be a free agent in 2024. If either of them leave for a new team on a nice contract offer the Saints could get a compensatory draft pick back to balance out what they spent to acquire him.

And there are plenty of snaps to go around. Jordan’s snap count should continue to go down a bit as he continues to age (his 49.4 defensive snaps and 27.3 pass rush reps per game were a career-low), creating opportunities for younger players to get into the game. The Saints could split reps between Granderson and Gipson at the right defensive end spot while working Turner in as well, which could be wise given his injury history — slowly ramping up his workload to limit his exposure to injury.

Last year the Saints faced about 38 pass attempts per game. If that’s close to what they expect this season, Granderson and Gipson could both easily plan on seeing 15 to 18 pass-rush snaps each week. Turner would get about 10 reps of his own until he’s proven he can handle more. They could also each occasionally line up on the left side along with Kpassagnon and Foskey, if he’s active, in relief of Jordan.

There’s room for Gipson on the depth chart. The Saints have enough salary cap space to afford him (he’s owed about $2.7 million this year) and it shouldn’t take a hefty package of draft picks to get him out of Chicago. But the coaching staff has expressed a lot of optimism in what Granderson and Turner can do together opposite Jordan, so we’ll have to wait and see whether they ultimately make a move.

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Payton Turner earning first-team reps at Saints training camp

Payton Turner is earning first-team reps at New Orleans Saints training camp. A third-year breakout could be just what he and the team needs:

It’s no surprise that the New Orleans Saints are tweaking their first-team defense by rotating cornerback Alontae Taylor in with Paulson Adebo — that’s the headliner in a number of training camp battles up and down the roster, with even head coach Dennis Allen watching closely. But did we overlook one of the undercard fights?

On Thursday, third-year defensive end Payton Turner moved ahead of Carl Granderson as the starter opposite Cameron Jordan, having earned the opportunity with several impressive plays a day earlier; stopping a run behind the line of scrimmage on one rep and forcing a Jameis Winston throwaway on another. Granderson joined Adebo on the second-team defense, but odds are the coaches will rotate players around and encourage competition as the summer continues.

“I think it’s a combination of something that he’s earned, and we’re looking to see, ‘Who’s going to be that guy that’s got to line up on the other side of Cam Jordan?'” Dennis Allen responded when NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett broached the subject after practice. “And somebody’s got to, not be given that role, somebody’s got to take that role. He’s earned the right to get those reps, now it’s what he does with them.”

Turner made the most of the chance to run with the starters on Thursday by generating several pressures. It’s encouraging to see this from him after injuries and poor play limited him to just 13 games through his first two years. Hopefully it continues when pads come on in a few days, when the Saints preseason games kick off in three weeks, and when the bright lights come on in September. As Allen said before training camp, it’s not the end result that matters most here for Turner — it’s the process.

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Saints could fill their biggest team need with these free agents

Defensive end is the biggest team need for the New Orleans Saints. Unproven commodities on the roster could push them into exploring free agency | @southexclusives

As the New Orleans Saints prepare for the beginning of training camp, the defensive end spot on the other side of Cameron Jordan still remains an uncertainty. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton highlights this issue by labeling the Saints as an ideal landing spot for multiple free agent defensive ends.

There’s a strong argument it is the biggest hole in the starting lineup. The other unknowns are the other starting cornerback alongside Marshon Lattimore and the third linebacker. The cornerback battle between Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo is between two players we’ve seen perform well before. The third linebacker rarely sees many snaps in the Saints defense behind Demario Davis and Pete Werner with New Orleans favoring nickel and dime personnel to get more defensive backs on the field.

Beyond Payton Turner, who has been missed most of his first two seasons either with injuries or as a healthy scratch, the options at defensive end include Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Isaiah Foskey. Those are two rotational pass rushers and a rookie. Granderson seems primed to step into a larger role. But there isn’t a proven commodity there. Most other positions on the roster either know who is going to lead that position or have players who have shown more in their potential role. Defensive end doesn’t check either of those boxes, so it’s the biggest hole on the team. Here are three players highlighted by Moton:

25 most important Saints of 2023: No. 24 Carl Granderson

Second on our list of the top 25 most important Saints for 2023 is a returning defensive edge with explosive strength and a quick get-off: No. 24, Carl Granderson | @ClutchWDN

Rookie training camp opens in only two or so weeks for the New Orleans Saints, with veterans reporting a week later. This is the first sign that the NFL season is getting closer and closer, and as always, the roster turnover has been mostly completed by this point.

So with that in mind, from now until the beginning of veteran training camp, we will be going over the top 25 most important New Orleans Saints for the 2023 season. This will be split up into the following categories:

  • Recap of their 2022 season
  • Projecting their 2023 success
  • What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?

Today we continue the series with No. 24, who was voted by the Saints Wire team to be defensive end Carl Granderson. A returning component to the Saints front seven, Granderson will be looking to take on a bigger role with the new-look defensive line:

CBS Sports lists Payton Turner as a make-or-break player this season

CBS Sports rightfully lists Payton Turner as a make-or-break player this season. The Saints’ DE needs to show the team something | @DillySanders

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The New Orleans Saints shocked even its own fan base in the 2021 draft by selecting the project pass-rusher Payton Turner out of Houston in the first round. There was always at least something to be excited about in the prospect of what Turner could become, but injuries have kept that from happening thus far.

CBS Sports, rightfully so, listed Turner as someone who is entering a make-or-break season in 2023. Here’s the reasoning from their Chris Trapasso:

A mid-November rookie year injury prematurely ended what was an otherwise bland debut season in the NFL. 

Last year had a similar theme. Turner hardly played early then missed action due to a litany of injuries, including a Week 11 ankle issue that sidelined him all the way until the penultimate game of the regular season. Altogether, Turner has mustered 23 quarterback pressures on 209 pass-rushing snaps and three sacks in 23 contests.

There is still hope that Turner can, excuse the pun, turn things around in his young NFL career. There will be snaps to be had in the rotation, but he’ll need to compete along with Carl Granderson and Isaiah Foskey across from Cameron Jordan. Turner has looked good when he has played, he just hasn’t played enough to warrant that first round selection. His NFL career has been tough so far, but if he can show the resilience to bounce back and compete, then anything could be possible in his career.

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PFF’s ranking of the Saints defensive line misses the mark

PFF’s ranking of the Saints defensive line misses the mark, with no mention of the rookies they just drafted in the first and second rounds:

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This ranking from Pro Football Focus missed the mark, with no mention of the rookie defensive linemen the New Orleans Saints just drafted in the first and second rounds. Despite having set out to rank every defensive line around the league, PFF’s Zoltan Buday only made note of the Saints’ projected starting end players while ranking the unit fourth-worst in the league:

Edge defender Carl Granderson enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, and his emergence meant that veteran Cameron Jordan was not the highest-graded defensive lineman on the Saints for the first time in years.

Nevertheless, while Granderson’s emergence is a promising sign, Jordan’s age and potential decline, together with the lack of starting-caliber players in the middle of the line, are causes for concern for Saints fans.

Granderson has made progress year over year, but he’s still closer to being a rotational pass rusher rather than an every-down starter. And what’s with the overlooking of both Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey?

It’s true that the Saints defensive line got pushed around last year. That’s why they let so many players walk away in free agency: mainstays like David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle among them.

New Orleans hasn’t cashed in with the 2021 first-round pick they invested in Payton Turner, either, who has been limited to just 13 games through his first two seasons (only partly due to injury; he ended the 2022 season as a healthy scratch).

So some skepticism is warranted. And it’s probably wise to look at Bresee and Foskey as unknown quantities. It’s unclear what roles they’ll have right out of the gate and how impactful they’ll be in their first year in the NFL. But to ignore them altogether feels like an oversight, not to mention the additions the Saints made along the interior in free agency, having signed veterans Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders to replace Onyemata and Tuttle.

If the group can be at least as effective as they were last year, great — but you’ll have to excuse us for feeling optimistic and expecting greater things.

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3 questions the Saints must answer on defense in 2023

The Saints underwent a slight overhaul in the front seven, leading to questions about the depth at linebacker, the pass-rush production, and more, via @southexclusives:

The New Orleans Saints defense hit their stride at the end of the season after allowing 20 or more points in 10 of their first 11 games. From that point, the team flipped the script: opponents failed to cross the 20 point threshold in the final six games of the year. They finished top-five in yards allowed and top-10 in points allowed.

Yet, questions still remain headed into the upcoming season. They went under some changes within the front seven. With that being the case, it’s no surprise the biggest questions on the Saints defense can be found on the defensive line and in the linebacker corps. Here’s where we’re looking for answers:

PFF names DE Carl Granderson the Saints’ most-improved player in 2022

Pro Football Focus names defensive end Carl Granderson the New Orleans Saints’ most-improved player in 2022, having raised his player grade by 17 points:

Who would you say was the New Orleans Saints’ most-improved player in 2022? Our pick went to right guard Cesar Ruiz, who finally began to look like a former first-round pick under tutelage of his new position coach Doug Marrone. Another choice would be tight end Juwan Johnson, who broke out to lead the team with seven touchdown receptions.

But here’s another suggestion from Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness. After posting a league-average grade of 63.2 in 2021, defensive end Carl Granderson improved to an impressive 80.4 player grade for the 2022 season. McGuinness shared some insight on that leap in performance and what makes Granderson the Saints’ most-improved player:

“An undrafted free agent out of Wyoming in 2019, Granderson had a monster year against the run, with his 84.4 PFF run-defense grade the second-highest mark among all edge defenders in the NFL. Eight of his 22 pressures were sacks, and he registered 34 tackles resulting in a defensive stop.”

Granderson finished the year as the starting defensive end opposite Cameron Jordan, playing ahead of two recent first-round draft picks in Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner down the stretch. While his stronger numbers as a pass rusher are what’s driving his improved defensive rating, Granderson is also holding up better against the run than we saw early in his career. He’s worked hard to bulk up and adjust to the NFL, and that diligence is paying off.

Now he enters the 2023 offseason as, on paper, a defensive starter. Whether he’ll retain that status remains to be seen. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Saints invest another high draft pick in the position should Davenport leave in free agency or if the coaching staff is pessimistic on Turner’s growth; like many teams, they rotate their pass rushers often through games, so it’s better to have multiple viable players in the group.

Another interesting note: Granderson signed a two-year extension last year rather than a typical one-year contract for an exclusive rights free agent, which means he’s on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2024. That was a sign of the team’s belief in his career trajectory and it also helps keep some stability at defensive end going into 2023. In addition to Davenport, Tanoh Kpassagnon is a backup headed for free agency. Knowing Granderson is under contract makes losing one (or both) of those players a little more acceptable.

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Todd McShay’s mock draft swaps Marcus Davenport for a prospect who’s just like him

Todd McShay’s mock draft has the Saints replacing Marcus Davenport with a prospect who’s just like him:

The New Orleans Saints defensive line needs a facelift. Their linebackers were more productive on blitzes than their starting defensive ends for much of the season, and the big men inside gave up too much ground in run defense as the 2022 season wore on. So the fact that multiple linemen are headed for free agency is a good opportunity to reboot the unit.

But ESPN’s Todd McShay has a worrisome suggestion. One of the players who could leave this offseason is defensive end Marcus Davenport, who has all the ability in the world but struggled to stay on the field through five years with the Saints due to injuries and inconsistent play. He has the Saints picking a prospect with many of the same qualities that filled Davenport’s scouting report coming out of college: Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White.

Here’s what McShay wrote of the fit in his recent mock draft:

“The Saints got back into Round 1 with the Sean Payton trade and have a chance to land a replacement for Marcus Davenport if the veteran pass-rusher departs in free agency — which seems likely given the Saints’ salary-cap situation. White is coming off a 7.5-sack season and just had a good week in Mobile, Alabama, at the Senior Bowl. The pass rush was a strength in New Orleans last season (48 sacks, tied for fifth), but Cameron Jordan is turning 34, and defensive tackle David Onyemata is scheduled to join Davenport in free agency.”

He’s right to point out the position as an area of need. Jordan and Carl Granderson are your projected starters out on the edge in 2023 and there’s no depth behind them; Payton Turner hasn’t shown anything through two injury-plagued years to start his own career. But White shares just as many of Davenport’s positive traits as red flags. He’s his own man, sure, and he could very well work out well in New Orleans. We just can’t ignore that players with a similar archetype haven’t done well in this situation.

Like Davenport, he’s exactly what the Saints are looking for in an athletic prototype at 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, with long 33-inch arms giving him an impressive 79-inch wingspan. But like Davenport, White brings some injury concerns. He missed the first eight games of the 2021 season recovering from a broken ankle, and he’s still picking up the nuances of the position after starting his college career at tight end. There are a lot of similarities between the two players.

So it makes sense to link the Saints to someone with traits they’ve rolled the dice on before. At the same time, White brings many of the same risks that burned New Orleans in betting big on Davenport (and Turner, who the Saints drafted two years ago). He’s played just over 1,200 defensive snaps in his career, he’s missed most of a season to an injury already, and he’ll need to be coached up before he’s ready to start games on Sundays.

With that said, it does make sense for the Saints to go looking for another defensive end. But they need to shake the trends that didn’t work out for them before. There are other players in this position group who are more pro-ready and projected to be picked in the same range like Derick Hall (over 1,900 defensive snaps), BJ Ojulari (1,700), Tuli Tuipulotu and Will McDonald IV (1,500 each). If the Saints want to pick another pass-rusher early on, they should be looking for more of a finished product than someone who is two or three years away from helping them out.

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Saints pick Cameron Jordan’s heir-apparent in new 2023 mock draft

The Saints picked Cameron Jordan’s heir-apparent in a new 2023 mock draft, adding USC Trojans pass rusher Tuli Tuipulotu:

Here’s an unconventional mock draft for the New Orleans Saints. The Draft Network’s Damian Parson recently completed a two-round projection that has the Saints selecting USC Trojans pass rusher Tuli Tuipulotu at No. 41 overall, bringing a potential heir-apparent for Cameron Jordan into the building. Jordan won the Saints sacks record last year but will turn 34 this summer, so and the team shouldn’t keep asking him to be their leading pass rusher.

Tuipulotu certainly fits New Orleans’ prototype at defensive end, being listed at 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds. He’s coming off the best year of his college career with 13.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss across 14 games; Pro Football Focus charting found he generated 56 quarterback pressures, which led the Trojans by a wide margin.

There are some questions about his exact fit in the NFL, though. Parson’s peer at TDN Kyle Crabbs wrote in Tuipulotu’s scouting report that:

“Expectations for Tuipulotu will range from team to team. Are you going to have him play in the 290s and serve as a B-gap defender? Or is he someone you’ll charge with playing around 270 and ask him to work more prominently off the edge? He’s shown the ability to do either, but in order to maximize his stock as a prospect, he’ll need to offer as much passing down value as possible to sell teams on his ability to play high snap volume in the NFL.”

New Orleans likes its defensive ends to play on the heavier side of that weight scale owing to their natural strength in run defense, so Tuipulotu wouldn’t have to drastically change his body to accommodate their system. But that’s assuming defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen won’t leave for a new job after interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.

It shouldn’t shock anyone if the Saints end up using their top pick in the 2023 draft on a defensive lineman. Marcus Davenport and David Onyemata are pending free agents, as are guys like Tanoh Kpassagnon, Shy Tuttle, Kentavius Street, and Malcolm Roach. They aren’t all going to return next season. The Saints haven’t gotten anything out of their 2021 first round pick Payton Turner, either, so it would make sense if they add someone like Tuipulotu to their rotation behind Jordan and Carl Granderson.

But that should only be a consideration if their bigger problems are resolved in free agency. The Saints have higher priorities at quarterback and running back, and you could make the case for roster needs at left guard, wide receiver, and safety, too. Maybe even tight end. They have plenty of issues to work out this offseason.

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