The latest praise for Adebo comes from NFL.com’s Tom Blair, who cited some numbers from NFL Next Gen Stats to build Adebo’s case as one of the league’s most underappreciated players:
One highlight of the Saints’ forgettable 2023 season was the pass defense — and one player who shined individually within that unit was Adebo, a second-year pro who tied for the team lead in picks (four). He also ranked third in the NFL in passes defensed (18) and posted the 10th-best passer rating allowed (58.5), according to NGS (min. 400 coverage snaps). Whether or not Derek Carr and the offense can fully cohere after an up-and-down 2023 is still uncertain, but Adebo is one of a handful of young standouts (along with Carl Granderson, Bryan Bresee and Alontae Taylor) who can help keep New Orleans competitive on D while Carr and Co. try to take a step forward.
Adebo was a third-round pick in the 2021 draft, so he’s a third-year pro, which means he’ll be a free agent in 2025 if the Saints don’t extend his contract. His star is rising at the perfect time to cash in next offseason. He leads the Saints in passes defensed (33) since he joined the team in 2021, which is tied with L’Jarius Sneed for 17th-most in the entire NFL.
Will the Saints let him leave? It’s possible. Their outlook at cornerback is tough to suss out. Marshon Lattimore could be traded this summer or next spring, and they have a couple of young draft picks competing for snaps in Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry. It’s very possible that Adebo’s asking price in 2025 is too high for them to match, so they opt to let him walk and promote Taylor or McKinstry to a starting role opposite Lattimore. We also can’t rule out the possibility of Lattimore moving on, too. Both starting corners might be on new teams this time next year.
Still, the Saints have to be appreciating Adebo while they have him. He bounced back from a down year in 2022 while playing through injury to lock down opposing wideouts in 2023. Coverage penalties were a problem for him early in his career but he played clean football last season after knocking off some rust in the opening weeks. Whatever his future is after 2024, he’s going to be a critical piece of Dennis Allen’s defense in the fall.
Chase Young is the Saints Player of Day 99 as we count down to the 2024 kickoff. He’s hoping to make a big impact in a pivotal year:
There are 99 days remaining until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 season against the Carolina Panthers, which means this year’s No. 99 is our player of the day: Chase Young. The veteran defensive end signed with the Saints as a free agent this spring, and he’s in line for a big role in the fall — once he’s healthy.
But first, let’s get to know him a bit better:
Name (Age): Chase Young (25)
Position: Defensive end
Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 265 pounds
Relative Athletic Score: N/A
2024 salary cap hit: $3,442,000
College: Ohio State
Drafted: 2nd overall in 2020 (Washington Commanders)
NFL experience: 5 years
Before he can worry about anything else, Young must finish recovering from neck surgery he underwent in March to address an injury he played through in 2023. He’s expected to miss some time in training camp, but the Saints have protected themselves by structuring his contract so that it essentially gives them a refund for any games Young misses after Week 1.
For his part, Young is excited to learn from Cameron Jordan, one of the best in the game, while reuniting with old teammates like Pete Werner and Chris Olave. The former Buckeye had more sacks last year with Washington and the San Francisco 49erse than anyone in New Orleans (besides Carl Granderson, tying him at 8.5) as well as more quarterback hits and pressures than many of his new Saints teammates.
The hope is for Young to get healthy and juice up one of the NFL’s least productive pass-rush units. He’s facing a four- to six-month recovery, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, so we’ll see if he’s able to return during training camp or later once the regular season kicks off. The Saints will be without backup defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon after his offseason Achilles injury, but they’ll be leaning on draft picks like Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner until Young can get on the field.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling visited with the Buffalo #Bills on Monday. He won Super Bowl rings with the Kansas City #Chiefs the last two seasons.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills made for unlikely bedfellows during the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, when the defending Super Bowl champions struck a deal with their bitter AFC rivals to trade up for wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
On Monday, the teams’ paths crossed yet again when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that former Chiefs wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling met with the Bills as a free agent.
Valdes-Scantling played a key role on offense on the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowl-winning teams but was released in March after an underwhelming 2023 season.
Former Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling — who recently visited with the Chargers — is in Buffalo tonight meeting with the Bills, per source.
While there has been no indication that a signing is imminent for Valdes-Scantling, very few wide receivers on the market have Super Bowl experience.
Buffalo traded star WR Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans shortly before April’s draft and selected Florida State wideout Keon Coleman with their first pick.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, veteran WR Zay Jones is set to visit with the #Chiefs on Thursday.
The Kansas City Chiefs might not be done adding talented receivers to their roster in the offseason as they look toward their 2024 Super Bowl defense campaign.
On Wednesday night NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that veteran wideout Zay Jones would be visiting the Chiefs as a free agent, potentially indicating Kansas City’s desire to bring in an experienced pass-catcher.
While the Chiefs were just one of the teams on Jones’ shortlist, the former second-round pick would be a natural fit with Patrick Mahomes as part of Kansas City’s offense and could help Andy Reid ease the burden of being without Rashee Rice early in the 2024 season.
Former Jaguars WR Zay Jones is scheduled to visit Thursday with the Kansas City Chiefs, per league sources.
After Jacksonville released him last week, Jones has visited the Titans, Cardinals and Cowboys – with the Chiefs on deck. pic.twitter.com/thxVqQOvL8
No news of an imminent signing has been reported since Schefter’s initial tweet about the visit, but Chiefs fans should stay tuned for news as Jones’ visit to Kansas City plays out.
Jones could become one of Patrick Mahomes’ favorite targets next season if he elects to join the Chiefs.
Former Notre Dame linebacker [autotag]Bo Bauer[/autotag] has signed a free agent contract with the Washington Commanders.
Bauer last played for Notre Dame in 2022 before suffering a knee injury in October of that year. He received a camp invitation from the Seattle Seahawks last season but didn’t make the team.
Bauer participated in Notre Dame’s pro day again this Spring, having worked much of the last year to develop long snapping skills.
“I want this more than ever,” Bauer said at this most recent pro day. “I’ve had a whole year just working with little results up to this point. We always say standards over circumstances. I have a high standard and I hold on to that to this day. I’ll do whatever it takes to put my best foot forward.”
Bauer recorded 120 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions while at Notre Dame.
Willie Gay Jr. gives the Saints a burst of athleticism in the front seven. How does his signing impact the Saints’ draft strategy?
Willie Gay Jr. is another young free agent who comes over to the New Orleans Saints. When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him out of Mississippi State, Gay’s athleticism was one of his biggest strengths. That aspect of the linebacker’s game carried over to the pros. His time with the Chiefs, however, ended with changes in position and snap count.
Gay brings athleticism to a defense that severely lacked it a year ago, specifically in the front seven. Dennis Allen has made it clear Gay is here to compete with Pete Werner for the starting weak side linebacker spot. Gay’s experience in both outside linebacker roles will lead to him being a starter for the Saints in 2024.
Demario Davis, Werner and Gay will be your starting linebackers in base formation, but the battle between Werner and Gay will determine who is on the field in the Saints more utilized two linebacker set.
New Orleans shouldn’t think of linebacker until the late rounds or with undrafted free agents. The Saints have their big 3 and would only be looking to add bodies. Gay is on a short contract, but unlike Chase Young he will likely be re-signed if he performs well in 2024. The ability to view Gay as a future piece of the team keeps the need to add a linebacker a low priority in this year’s draft.
Miles Boykin is now a member of the New York Giants.
On Tuesday, the New York Giants announced they had signed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Miles Boykin. Boykin is set to enter his sixth season in the NFL and spent the last two with the Steelers.
Boykin doesn’t provide much in the passing game but is a star on special teams and a player who Pittsburgh will miss on coverage teams. The Steelers signed wide receivers Quez Watkins, Van Jefferson and Cordarrelle Patterson and hopefully Patterson can be a bigtime returner and one of the others can step up on the coverage teams.
The Steelers still have a long list of free agents who are still looking for a team and several of them could find their way back to the Steelers after the 2024 NFL draft.
What is Oli Udoh’s best path to starting in 2024, and how does his signing affect the Saints draft plans for the offensive line?
Oli Udoh comes over to New Orleans after five years with the Minnesota Vikings. His experience ranges from interior to exterior, right side to left side. He’s primarily been a backup in his career, except in 2021 where he started 16 of 17 games. Ironically, that was the season Klint Kubiak was the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. That familiarity likely played a big part in Udoh picking the Saints in free agency.
Udoh has iterated his desire to start. The likeliest path seems to be at left guard, prior to the draft. If the Saints don’t believe in Trevor Penning, they’re planning on drafting his replacement. Guard is also where he started in 2021 for the Vikings.
Locked On Vikings host Luke Braun described Udoh’s struggles that year as a result of “a tackle playing guard.” However, guard could be where Kubiak still sees Udoh fitting best. At worst, Udoh can be a versatile swing lineman for the Saints in 2024
Udoh competing with James Hurst at left guard feels just as likely as New Orleans drafting an interior offensive lineman. If the vision for him is at left tackle, he’s a backup. Regardless of the position, Oli Udoh has no impact on the Saints draft plans. Udoh doesn’t even feel like a Chase Young type of Band-Aid at his position.If the Saints want to get a starter for the future, Udoh will not stop them.
Chase Young must make an immediate impact in 2024. How does his signing affect the Saints’ strategy in the first round of the 2024 draft?
Chase Young comes to the New Orleans Saints after half a season with the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco picked up the former number 2 overall pick at the 2023 trade deadline. Young’s career hasn’t gone how many expected. After winning the defensive rookie of the year, Young never took that next jump partially due to injury. After having 7.5 sacks as a rookie, he’s totaled 9 sacks in his last 28 games.
This is a mutually beneficial relationship that’s unlikely to extend beyond the end of the year. Young is on a prove-it deal to see if he can jumpstart his career and bring some explosiveness to the New Orleans pass rush. Young should, at minimum, fit in the defensive line rotation for obvious passing situation sets.
This is a mutually beneficial relationship that’s unlikely to extend beyond the end of the year. Young is on a prove-it deal to see if he can jumpstart his career and bring some explosiveness to the New Orleans pass rush. Young should, at minimum, fit in the defensive line rotation for obvious passing situation sets.
Jamal Adams is still a free agent. The three-time Pro Bowl safety could help the Saints in multiple aspects, if he’s used properly:
Jamal Adams remains on the market during free agency, and the New Orleans Saints should be interested. Adams’ reputation has been tarnished since leaving the New York Giants, but what many critics don’t realize is that he was a second team All-Pro with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 prior to being injured the following year. Injuries have interrupted his career, but he can still play at a high level in the right role.
The truth is that Adams specializes in playing close to the line of scrimmage. Using him in deep coverage consistently at this point of his career would be a coaching error. Dennis Allen has always used safeties there dating back to Kenny Vaccaro’s time with the team, then Vonn Bell, and Malcolm Jenkins. There’s a clearly-defined role ready for someone like Adams.
Tyrann Mathieu would continue to be the primarily deep safety in this situation. The Saints liked how Johnathan Abram performed in Marcus Maye’s absence when he went down with injury, but Abram isn’t solidified to start in 2024. Right now it looks like he’ll be competing with second-year safety Jordan Howden. Adams could make a compelling case for that role, too. Abram is also at his best closer to the line of scrimmage, so it’s not as if excelling as a deep coverage player is required for New Orleans.
Adams would deliver a boost to the Saints run defense that has struggled over the last few years. The Saints have also struggled to rush the passer recently. Adams was adept at blitzing and getting sacks early in his career He won’t be a coverage specialist but the tradeoff comes from needed value he could provide close to the line of scrimmage. With too few picks to spend on addressing all of their needs in the 2024 NFL draft, the Saints must consider all options to get better, and that includes players like Adams.
