Isaiah Foskey – Syndication Server

Chase Young identified as a solution to Saints’ pass-rush woes

The Saints pass rush has been abysmal. Could Chase Young help them out at defensive end? ESPN makes the case for pursuit of the 49ers free agent:

Defensive end is one of the biggest concerns for the New Orleans Saints as they’re currently constructed. Despite the selections of Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey with top-40 picks in 2021 and 2023, the pass rush remains at the bottom of the league. There were 27 teams with more sacks last season than the Saints.

The issue should be addressed this offseason either in free agency or the upcoming 2024 NFL draft. Veteran options will be available sooner, and the Saints aren’t known for their patience, so that’s where we’ll start looking. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz identified San Francisco 49ers defensive end Chase Young as a solution for the Saints who may hit the open market:

The best option might be a one-year, prove-it contract for Young. He couldn’t stay healthy in 2021 and 2022, and while he had 7.5 sacks in 2023, his game fell off after he was dealt to San Francisco in the middle of the season. Young ranked 15th among edge rushers with a 19.3% pass rush win rate off the edge, but that went from 24.8% while he was with Washington to just 12.9% with San Francisco (through the playoffs). On a one-year deal with New Orleans, Young could play opposite Cameron Jordan and prove he still has all the talent that made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2020.

A prove-it contract would be mutually beneficial for both parties. If Young performs well, he gets to hit the market in 2025 and likely get a moderately lucrative contract because of his draft pedigree. Losing Young after a year is a downside for New Orleans, but that’s a risk they’ll have to be comfortable taking, and there’s a good chance the Saints receive a compensatory draft pick if he leaves.

Young likely wouldn’t cost much because of his injury history and recent inconsistent play. Signing him would be a low-risk, high-reward move. Let’s see if it’s in the cards for New Orleans.

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Draft expert sells Saints fans on top pass rusher Laiatu Latu

NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah understands why Saints fans are leery of another pass rusher, but says Laiatu Latu ‘is totally different’ from past busts

NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah understands why New Orleans Saints fans are leery of seeing their team pick another pass rusher — they’ve swung and missed at several prospects early in recent draft cycles.

Marcus Davenport. Payton Turner. Now, Isaiah Foskey. All of them have failed to deliver either for missing time with injuries or not producing when on the field. It’s been a frustrating experience for the Saints to pour so many resources into the position group and have so little to show for it.

And the pass rush is an area of concern for the Saints again this year after they failed to get after the quarterback last season. One popular prospect for them in media mock drafts is UCLA star Laiatu Latu, who Jeremiah describes as a breath of fresh air given New Orleans’ past approach.

“Look, with Latu, he is totally different than those guys you just mentioned,” Jeremiah began, speaking on a national conference call Thursday. “So their formula that they had been chasing is more traits-based. All those guys you mentioned were kind of more raw, not technical pass rushers, but big, physical, explosive guys who weren’t technicians.”

The 6-foot-4, 261-pound Latu has plenty of size for the Saints’ standards even if he isn’t as tall as Tanoh Kpassagnon or as heavy as Cameron Jordan. And he’s been highly productive in two years at UCLA. Latu sacked the quarterback 23.5 times in 25 games while racking up 34 tackles for loss. He also finished with five forced fumbles and two interceptions. He’s a game-changer, and it’s a result of the work he’s put in to hone his craft.

Jeremiah continued: “Latu is a technician, man. I compare him to Trey Hendrickson. He is really good with his hands. He can win a variety of ways. He has a natural feel for pass rush. Some parts of the pass rush remind me of wide receivers. There’s route runners. There’s an artistry to it. Latu is an artist.”

That’s not to say Latu is a perfect prospect. He transferred to UCLA and missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons after a neck injury threatened his college career. It hasn’t been a problem in the years since, but it’s an injury history teams like the Saints must take seriously.

He’s moved on from that scary incident and developed into maybe the best pass rusher in this year’s draft class. Teams like the Saints would be wise to consider him.

“He is really, really gifted that way. So a totally different style than the guys that you mentioned that maybe they haven’t hit on in the past,” Jeremiah finished.

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NFL analyst says Saints’ 2023 draft class made a poor first impression

This NFL analyst graded the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 draft class a C+, saying that they made a poor first impression:

Looking back on it now, the biggest critique of the 2023 New Orleans Saints draft class was overall inactivity. Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee was the only draftee you can point to who played significant time, so it’s not difficult to see why NFL.com’s Eric Edholm gave the draft class a C+ grade. Jordan Howden also filled in at safety due to injuries, but he spent half of the season only coming in for specific packages. It’s just difficult to grade a class high when most of the players didn’t see the field often.

Defensive end Isaiah Foskey, offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri and quarterback Jake Haener were absolute non-factors in 2023. Haener was a third-string quarterback, as expected, so there’s no problem there. Foskey and Saldiveri, however, were disappointments this year. The Saints’ pass rush struggled so badly that defensive end is still looked at as a priority to many this offseason. Despite that, Foskey barely saw the field. The health of the offensive line was depleted, but there was still no Saldiveri, who ended the year with his own injury.

The grade is fair but still tough to swallow. New Orleans’ rookie draft class was disappointing in their debut season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t improve. Howden, wide receiver A.T. Perry and running back Kendre Miller all flashed the potential to be quality players with more snaps. Time will tell if Foskey or Saldiveri make an impact, but it feels as if they’ll be pushed down the depth chart this offseason. The only sure thing the Saints have from their draft class is Bresee. Hopefully he can continue to dodge the injury bug that trailed him in college and make plays for the defensive line.

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Grading every rookie from the Saints 2023 draft class

Grading every rookie from the New Orleans Saints 2023 NFL draft class: How did Bryan Bresee, Kendre Miller, Blake Grupe stack up?

The New Orleans Saints are going to be relying on their young players heavily as other parts of the roster begin to show their age, but how did each of their rookies from the 2023 NFL draft class grade out? Who is off to a good start, and who needs to make up for lost time?

Here’s how we evaluated each Saints rookie now that the 2023 season is behind them:

Ranking the Saints’ 5 most disappointing players of 2023

The Saints didn’t meet expectations in 2023, but some players have dirtier hands than others. Here are our five most disappointing performances:

The 2023 season was a weird one for the New Orleans Saints. It seemed as if the team was primed for a postseason berth, surging in the back half of the year and winning four of their last five games. That, however, wasn’t the case. The Saints’ season ended in the regular season. That is what’s most disappointing — they’re stuck at home watching the playoffs instead of competing in the postseason.

It wasn’t simply missing the playoffs that made this season a disappointment. The journey along the way was equally as disappointing and frustrating. And it’s important to acknowledge which position groups and players did not meet expectations. Which performances were the most disappointing in 2023? Here are our five picks:

Cameron Jordan says retirement isn’t an option in 2024: ‘I love the Saints too much’

It’s been a rough year for Cameron Jordan. The New Orleans Saints’ perennial Pro Bowler fell off in 2023, finishing with just two sacks and likely missing the annual all-star event (unless he gets in as an alternate). Pro Football Focus charting ranked Jordan’s 45 quarterback pressures as the 44th-most among defensive ends around the league, despite ranking 29th in pass-rush snaps (449).

He just wasn’t productive enough. Now 34 years old (and turning 35 this summer), Jordan acknowledged that his numbers aren’t where they needed to be. But he isn’t ready to call it a career just yet.

“I love the Saints too much to retire,” Jordan told local media at his locker on Monday. “I love this locker room, I love everything about it. I’ve got too much juice to give.”

Jordan rattled off his list of complaints from the 2023 season — a lingering ankle injury that had him playing “like a freaking shell of myself” in the back half of the schedule, along with losses to the Packers, the Texans, and the Falcons in Atlanta. But he likes the way the Saints finished the season playing strong on both sides of the ball, even if he wishes that kind of consistency had manifested earlier in the season.

So he’ll be back in 2024, which makes sense when you look at his contract (he’s signed through 2025). What the plan is for him remains to be seen. Jordan remains a strong run defender, anchoring the left end of the line and tracking the ball well in the backfield, but he’s lost a step moving forwards as a pass rusher. Too often he’s a step slow to close on the quarterback and finish the sack.

Maybe the answer is moving him inside to rush against slow-footed guards, as some older defensive ends have tried around the league. Or the Saints could ask him to rush the quarterback less often altogether and focus on winning the first two downs. Jordan ranked second on the team in pass rush snaps (449) by a wide margin. Young draft picks like Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey haven’t panned out. The Saints need to keep trying to find someone who can take some pressure off Jordan’s shoulders in that role.

Jordan added that he won’t be vacationing with his family in Spain like he did last summer; he’s planning to dial in and train his body so he can get back to performing at his usual standards. “There’s some things I need to clean up. And as much as I needed last offseason to happen, it takes a lot to be committed to your craft. That was great for the mentals, but I feel like in a physical aspect, and even in a team aspect, there’s more to give.”

He added, “I’m already looking forward to a revenge arc.”

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No surprises on New Orleans Saints inactive list for Week 17 vs. Bucs

There are no surprises on New Orleans Saints inactive list for Week 17’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

There are no surprises on New Orleans Saints inactive list for Week 17’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: rookie draft picks Isaiah Foskey and Kendre Miller are unavailable due to injury, and backup quarterback Jake Haener is a healthy scratch again.

Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who was ruled out with an injury, has been put on injured reserve which will likely end his season (barring a big Saints playoff push). Veteran safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. was also ruled out due to injury. Running back Alvin Kamara and punter Lou Hedley, both questionable with illness, are officially active.

Here’s the full list of Saints inactives for Week 17:

DB Lonnie Johnson (injury)
RB Kendre Miller (injury)
DE Isaiah Foskey (injury)
QB Jake Haener
CB Cameron Dantzler
LB Monty Rice

And here’s the list of inactive Buccaneers:

CB Carlton Davis (injury)
OLB Shaq Barrett (injury)
TE Ko Kieft (injury)
LB J.J. Russell
DL Deadrin Senat
OL Brandon Walton
QB John Wolford (designated as QB3)

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Tampa Bay is without two starters on final Saints-Bucs injury report

Tampa Bay is without two starters on final Saints-Bucs injury report ahead of Week 17’s matchup

The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released the final injury report ahead of their Week 17 matchup.

Few surprises on the report for the Saints, with Ryan Ramczyk and Lonnie Johnson being the only two players listed out. Jordan Howden was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Friday. Alvin Kamara made his first appearance on the injury report this week as he missed practice on Friday with an illness.

An interesting story to watch will be the punter situation for New Orleans. Like Kamara, Lou Hedley missed practice on Friday with an illness and was listed as questionable. Hedley is the team’s only punter and Blake Grupe does not have punting experience.

For the Buccaneers, five players are listed as out for this game. Noteworthy abscesses will be star pass rusher Shaquil Barrett and starting cornerback Carlton Davis. Tight end Ko Kieft, wide receiver Rakim Jarrett and defensive tackle Mike Greene are also listed as out. Wide receiver Chris Godwin returned to practice on Friday and looks good to go for Sunday’s matchup.

Here is the full injury report for this week:

Ryan Ramczyk (knee) misses another practice on Saints-Bucs injury report

Ryan Ramczyk (knee) misses another practice on the updated Saints-Bucs injury report:

There isn’t much good news on Thursday’s update for the New Orleans Saints injury report. While rookie safety Jordan Howden (illness) returned to practice after resting on Wednesday, starting right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee) and veteran safety Lonnie Johnson (knee) were still missing. It isn’t looking good for either of them as we approach Sunday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who could be without top defenders Carlton Davis (concussion) and Shaquil Barrett (groin).

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that several young draft picks are practicing on a limited basis for the Saints after having missed some time with injuries. Rookies Isaiah Foskey (quadricep) and Kendre Miller (ankle) have both been active this week, and defensive end Payton Turner (toe) is progressing well in his return from injured reserve. Win or lose, it would be great to see something positive from the three of them down the stretch.

Here’s a quick look at Thursday’s injury report from both teams:

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Kendre Miller is a surprise add to the Saints inactive list against the Rams

Kendre Miller is a surprise add to the Saints inactive list against the Rams. Fans will have to wait another week to see the rookie running back again:

This is tough. Kendre Miller is a surprise add to the New Orleans Saints inactive list going into Thursday night’s game with the Los Angeles Rams; he had missed the last five games recovering from an ankle injury, but practiced this week, and his coaches made it sound like he had a good chance to play in prime time. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first broke the bad news.

Instead, fans will have to wait another week to see the rookie running back again. It’s been a very disappointing season for Miller after he missed most of the offseason program recovering from a college knee injury while talking himself up as someone who could do everything Alvin Kamara can do. Hopefully he can make good on that promise after returning to full health.

Here is the full inactive list from both teams:

Saints inactive players

DE Isaiah Foskey (injury)
S Lonnie Johnson (injury)
RT Ryan Ramczyk (injury)
RB Kendre Miller (injury)
QB Jake Haener
DB Cameron Dantzler Sr.
LB Monty Rice

Rams inactive players

DB Tre Tomlinson (injury)
RB Zach Evans
OLB Ochaun Mathis
OL Warren McClendon Jr.
DE Desjuan Johnson.

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