Tag: Demario Davis

ESPN argues Saints should make an unconventional pick from an SEC powerhouse

ESPN’s Matt Miller argues the Saints should make an unconventional pick from an SEC powerhouse in the 2025 NFL draft with Georgia tweener Jalon Walker:

What will the New Orleans Saints do in the 2025 NFL draft? It’s way too soon to say with certainty, but there’s no better time to speculate than the Saints’ bye week. With a defense built on aging talent moving slower and making fewer plays, one obvious area they should address is their pass rush.

Just ask ESPN’s Matt Miller. He argues the Saints should go to one of college football’s powerhouses with their first pick, even if Georgia star Jalon Walker’s immediate fit in the Joe Woods-coordinated defense is unclear:

There’s a lot of uncertainty in New Orleans, which will have a new coach after Dennis Allen’s midseason firing and has questions about quarterback Derek Carr‘s future. The Saints could use this pick to improve a defense that gives up 6.1 yards per play, second worst in the league. Plus, Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis will be 36 years old next season. Walker has played as an off-ball linebacker and off the edge. He doesn’t have great size, but his first-step speed and power have helped him to 5.5 sacks. I like him in a stand-up rushing role in a 3-4 scheme if New Orleans’ new regime goes that route.

The problem is the Saints don’t have a history of developing players like Walker — undersized edge rushers who are too light to play at defensive end with a hand in the dirt, but without the experience at dropping into coverage when stanced up off the ball at linebacker. Think of guys like Zack Baun and Martez Wilson, or Davis Tull and Ronald Powell in the later rounds.

At the same time, the Saints haven’t gotten much out of plug-and-play conventional defensive ends like Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey, either (to say nothing of the failed Marcus Davenport experiment). And it could be a whole new coaching staff making these decisions by the time April gets here. While there’s good reason to have some skepticism about Walker’s fit with the established system and coaches the Saints have right now, he could end up being just who they need to turn things around.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints starting linebacker expected to play through injury vs. Browns

Pete Werner is a gametime decision, but he is expected to play as the Saints aim to continue Nick Chubb’s slow return from injury:

The New Orleans Saints are expected to have their full compliment of linebackers against the Cleveland Browns. While Demario Davis and Willie Gay were healthy, Pete Werner was managing a hand injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday.

At Friday’s practice, Werner was able to get on the field in a limited capacity. That didn’t add any certainty to his status for Sunday, as Werner was listed as a game time decision. Per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, the expectation is Werner will play.

The Saints will need all of their linebackers to contribute versus the Browns. Nick Chubb has struggled to regain form since returning from injury, but you still remember the player he used to be and know he can snap back at any moment.

Cleveland will look to run the ball, so having Davis, Werner, and Gay all at your disposal will help neutralize that aspect of the offense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Demario Davis had just three words for his Week 9 Saints pregame speech

Demario Davis had just three words for his Week 9 Saints pregame speech. His team needs to dig deep for a win, even if it’s against the Panthers:

Demario Davis called his New Orleans Saints teammates together for a quick address before kickoff with the Carolina Panthers. It’s a tradition he continued after inheriting the leadership role from Drew Brees, so what did he have to say on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium?

Davis started with just three words.

“Fire, fight, finish,” Davis chanted. He went on to talk about everyone’s motivations,  why they put in the hard work to prepare for this game, and what they need to do to come away with a win.

His team needs to dig deep for a win, even if it’s just the Panthers. Nothing is  guaranteed in the NFL and any team can win on any given Sunday. If they’re going to end this losing streak, it has to start here.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

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.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints designate two players to return from injury lists

Nephi Sewell and Shane Lemieux have 21 days to return to the New Orleans Saints’ active roster. What would be their role upon return?

The New Orleans Saints will be getting pieces back from injury that will add depth to the linebacker corps and offensive line very soon. New Orleans has opened the 21-day window for linebacker Nephi Sewell and offensive lineman Shane Lemieux.

Sewell’s immediate role will be on special teams upon his return from a torn ACL. Demario Davis, Willie Gay Jr., and Pete Werner will lead the charge at linebacker, but Sewell could compete with Anfernee Orji and D’Marco Jackson for reps in case of injury.

Lemieux is an interesting case. He replaced Erik McCoy in the starting lineup after McCoy’s injury versus the Eagles. Shortly after, Lemieux went to injured reserve with an ankle injury. Lemieux could return McCoy is available. If so, would the Saints turn back to Lemieux over Connor McGovern? McCoy’s availability will determine if New Orleans even has to answer that question.

These players have three weeks to be placed on the active roster, otherwise their season is over. That extends to the Saints bye week, so the latest we should see Sewell or Lemieux is Week 13 versus the Los Angeles Rams.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

The New Orleans Saints are the 2nd-worst team in the NFC

Numbers don’t lie. The Saints’ season can be summed up by two numbers, 2 and 6, but those numbers run deeper than just their record:

They say “numbers don’t lie.” Well, here are a couple of numbers about the New Orleans Saints’ season thus far.

2. The New Orleans Saints have the second worst record in the NFC. The only team with a worse record is the Carolina Panthers. The Saints defeated them in Week 1. Klint Kubiak seemed to revive Alvin Kamara and the run game. Derek Carr was flourishing in a play action dominant system. Maybe they can recapture some magic against the Panthers this upcoming week.

6. The Dennis Allen-led squad has suffered consecutive defeats for a month and a half. Spencer Rattler was at the helm for half of the games and Carr was responsible for the other half. The losses started close, but the Saints have been outclassed since Week 4.

2. This is the amount of wins the Saints have. Nothing to explain here. It’s been so long, that it was nice to reflect on the good times that were cut way too short this year.

6. This is where the Saints are currently drafting prior to Monday night’s game. Staying close to the top-5 should bring lengthy conversations about drafting a first round quarterback and possibly trading up for one.

Things are bad in New Orleans. The offense has been lifeless since Week 2, other than the first half against Atlanta. The energy has been drained from the fan base, and the season can be summed up with two numbers, 2 and 6. Ironically, that’s the Saints record.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Dennis Allen likes what he sees in second-year linebacker

Dennis Allen feels Anfernee Orji’s performance is a silver lining from the Saints’ long list of injuries. The second-year linebacker has seized his opportunity:

New Orleans Saints linebacker Anfernee Orji continues to impress Dennis Allen. Orji has been primarily a special teams player, but injuries have forced him to play more on defense.

That role will diminish with Pete Werner returning from injury as early as this week, but Orji has made the most of his time. In the only game Orji played more than 30 snaps, he registered 10 tackles against the Kansas City Chiefs. That was second only to Demario Davis.

Orji showed the ability to get in the backfield against the Denver Broncos. He didn’t play as much as he did versus the Chiefs, so his total tackles dropped. Orji did get the first two tackles for a loss of his career on Thursday night, however.

Allen believes Orji has “made a ton of progress since last year.” Orji spent all of last year on the practice squad, and showed refinement in training camp. That’s transitioned over to his regular season snaps.

Though Allen admitted they didn’t plan on playing Orji this much, he thinks this is the silver lining of injuries: “You have an opportunity for some young guys step up, get some valuable playing experience.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints defense could welcome back a badly-missed starter against the Chargers

The Saints defense could return a badly-missed starter against the Chargers this week. Pete Werner is working his way back from a hamstring injury:

The New Orleans Saints defense could welcome back a badly-missed starter against the Los Angeles Chargers this week. Veteran linebacker Pete Werner is recovering from a hamstring injury, and Saints head coach Dennis Allen  is optimistic about his chances.

“He’s doing well,” Allen said Monday, “I’m expecting that we’ll have some guys coming back this week. But, we’ll see how it goes throughout the course of the week.”

Injuries have hit the Saints hard before the regular season’s midpoint. Werner has had to miss their last three games, all losses in which the run defense was gashed for a combined 671 yards on the ground. Missed tackles and miscommunication have run rampant, and it’s clear they miss Werner’s presence at the second level.

Of course he isn’t the only player out with an injury; Allen has previously said that key offensive players like right guard Cesar Ruiz, tight end Taysom Hill, and even quarterback Derek Carr are trending in the right direction, though at varying paces. But when Allen’s reputation hinges on being a defensive mastermind, his defense’s breakdown will draw the most scrutiny.

Hopefully Werner’s return can clean up their mess in the middle of the field. Backups like Anfernee Orji and D’Marco Jackson have been around the ball a lot, but they have each missed tackles, and Demario Davis hasn’t looked like himself while dealing with an injury of his own. The Saints are planning on Werner leading the way to the future at linebacker after signing him to an extension during training camp, and a strong performance in L.A. would do a lot to build confidence in that plan.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Richard Sherman: Saints played like they wanted their coach fired

Richard Sherman said the Saints defense played ‘like they want to get their coach fired’ in the first half against the Broncos:

Yeesh. Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman didn’t hold back on the Amazon Prime halftime show during “Thursday Night Football,” after watching the New Orleans Saints slump into a 16-3 deficit.

He particularly took aim at the Saints defense’s poor performance, going so far as to suggest the unit’s poor effort was because they wanted head coach Dennis Allen to be fired.

“I’m telling you, Tony, I’m confused, I’m vexed, I’m perplexed, I don’t get it. These are good players,”  Sherman said. “They don’t want to tackle, they don’t want to make plays. … I don’t understand this, it seems like they want to get their coach fired, that’s the effort they’re playing with.”

Sherman pointed to an uncharacteristic dropped interception by Tyrann Mathieu as one example. Mathieu could’ve snagged his 36th career pick when Bo Nix threw it right to him, only for the veteran safety to lose his grip, and the pass fell incomplete. Mathieu would’ve had a lot of room to run, too.

There were other miscues. A lot of missed tackles, including some bad whiffs by ironman linebacker Demario Davis and a couple of almost-sacks that got away from Chase Young and Johnathan Abram. These are all problems we’ve seen for a month now in their last four losses. They can’t stop the run, allowing 6 or more yards per carry in three of their last four games and giving up 130-plus yards and two scores in the one outlier.

For a coach lauded for his defensive background, it’s been Dennis Allen’s side of the ball slipping away from their fundamentals. And respected voices around the league’s media landscape like Sherman are taking notice.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Dennis Allen says Saints will try everything to stop missing tackles

Dennis Allen says the Saints will try everything to stop missing tackles. If he can’t teach them fundamentals, he won’t be their coach for much longer:

It’s no secret what ails thee New Orleans Saints defense. They just gave up 1,000 yards in the space of a week between a Monday night game with the Kansas City Chiefs and a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following Sunday, and head coach Dennis Allen didn’t hesitate to point to the source of their problems.

“We didn’t tackle,” Allen said matter-of-factly after the Bucs game. “When you don’t tackle you give up explosive plays and you give up plays, and it kind of snowballed on us a little bit. It was not good enough.”

Those missed tackles were Allen’s first takeaway from the game. He said strong defense has been something the team has leaned on, but that wasn’t the case Sunday: “That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job with our guys. I’ve got to make sure we understand what we’re doing, we’ve got to do more tackling drills, whatever the case may be. It was not a good defensive performance at all.”

Allen has been the architect of the defense for nearly a decade, having drafted, developed, and recruited many of the players on the field. To see that unit’s fundamentals collapse was a gut punch, especially after he and his staff had made tackling drills a point of emphasis at practice during the week. So what’s causing all these missed tackles from normally sure-handed players like Demario Davis and Paulson Adebo?

“Part of it’s angles, it’s technique, it’s wrapping up. A lot of fundamental things that we’re not good enough with the tackling. And I think it starts with leverage and angles. That’s where it starts, and then the fundamental of actually making a tackle. Got to do a better job of wrapping up. But that’s two weeks in a row we haven’t done a good job tackling, and that’s our biggest concern,” Allen said.

It’s a major problem and it’s only gotten worse. And the Saints don’t have time on their side. They kick off with the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. When asked if these missed tackles are something the team can clean  up in  just four days, Allen’s response was succinct.

“It’s something we’d better fix in four days,” Allen said gravelly. It might be overdramatic to say his job is on the line if it doesn’t get better, but this is how those situations develop. If he can’t get his team playing fundamental football, he won’t be their coach for much longer.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]