Tag: Isaiah Foskey

The New Orleans Saints have the NFL’s slowest pass rush in 2023

Your eyes aren’t fooling you. The New Orleans Saints have the NFL’s slowest pass rush, taking more time to get to the quarterback than any other team:

If you’ve been watching the New Orleans Saints defense this year and found yourself muttering or shouting some variant of “That’s too much time!” when the opposing quarterback drops back to pass, you aren’t crazy. Research from Doug Analytics found that the Saints have posted the NFL’s slowed pass rush unit through the first 10 weeks of the season.

And that checks out when you look at other stats. The Saints are tied for the fifth-fewest sacks (18) going into their Week 11 bye. Their Pro Football Reference pressure rate is 19.4%, ninth-worst around the league. That’s a slight improvement over last year’s 17.5% pressure rate, which was fourth-lowest, but the big difference is that the Saints aren’t finishing pressures with sacks. They had 48 sacks a year ago. They would need to average 4.3 sacks per game through these last seven weeks to match that total.

The problem is a lack of speed along the defensive front. Cameron Jordan is still being asked to be their leading rusher off the edge when his body just doesn’t have that extra gear anymore. He’s never been known for his speed off the snap, so Jordan’s game should age well as a run defender and power rusher, but the Saints must compensate for that by getting faster at other spots. Carl Granderson has some speed element to his game and Bryan Bresee can move quickly along the interior, but those are just two of the eight players in the rotation most weeks.

Whiffing on so many early-round draft picks hurts. The Saints swung and missed on first-round defensive ends like Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner and their rookie second-round pick Isaiah Foskey has had few snaps to show what he can do. They badly need one of those guys to step up and add some athleticism to the mix. Jason Pierre-Paul could improve the group but he isn’t helping them get younger.

Interestingly, the next-slowest pass rush in this graph comes from the Washington Commanders. It’s a comprehensive look at teams from Weeks 1 through 10, so that includes edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young, both of whom were dealt at the NFL trade deadline. There was an uproar from Saints fans about not acquiring one of them, but it sure looks like they wouldn’t have cured the specific problem ailing the Saints defense.

A lacking athleticism up front is the issue. The Saints are slow to get after the quarterback, slow to put hands on him, and slow to keep up with him when he rolls out of the pocket looking to throw downfield. We saw them get gashed consistently by Joshua Dobbs and Tyson Bagent in recent weeks after C.J. Stroud did it a few weeks earlier. Any quarterback who can use their legs can challenge them.

Dennis Allen is a believer in the idea that the secondary and pass rush must work in tandem. He’s built this defense so that the quarterback is forced to hold onto the ball long enough for the rush to get home. But even a secondary full of All-Pro corners will get beaten if they’re all asked to cover for four, five, or six seconds. The Saints can’t afford to stop investing resources in the pass rush unit. Hopefully one of those draft picks hits soon.

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Rookie report card: Grading the Saints 2023 draft class at midseason

Rookie report card: How do you grade the New Orleans Saints 2023 draft class at midseason? Have Bryan Bresee and his peers met expectations?

So much hype is built up for the annual NFL draft class, but it isn’t always fair to put such high expectations on rookie players. In many cases there are well-established veteran players in place ahead of them who they need to outwork for snaps in practice, much less in games. And that’s before other inhibiting factors like injuries and suspensions get in the way of their development.

Keep that in mind as we go through our New Orleans Saints rookie report card. The Saints’ 2024 draft class hasn’t had many opportunities to distinguish itself going up to the Week 11 bye, and the seven remaining games in the regular season are going to be critical for many of them. Here’s how we grade each first-year pro’s performance at midseason:

Saints’ worst defensive players through Week 10, per PFF

The New Orleans Saints defense is the strength of their team — but it isn’t perfect. That’s shown in the Pro Football Focus player grades issued up to Week 10:

The New Orleans Saints defense is the strength of their team — but it isn’t perfect. There are some underperforming veterans on the squad and a few young pros who are still working to find their way.

And that’s shown in the Pro Football Focus player grades issued up to this point in the season. Here are the 10 lowest Saints player grades from PFF at the Week 11 bye:

Saints open a spot on their practice squad for Jason Pierre-Paul

The Saints opened a spot on their practice squad for Jason Pierre-Paul by releasing recently-signed defensive end Jordan Willis:

Jason Pierre-Paul’s turn with the New Orleans Saints will start on the practice squad. Already at capacity with 16 players under contract, the Saints opened a spot for him by releasing recently-acquired defensive end Jordan Willis; signed last week as a free agent, Willis was not activated for Week 10’s road game with the Minnesota Vikings.

Like Pierre-Paul, Willis was someone with experience in NFL games who could have helped out in the rotation while young draft picks like Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner were on the mend. But the Saints believed Pierre-Paul had more to offer, and there’s no arguing with the benefits of greater pro experience. So they made a change.

But will Pierre-Paul get into games coming out of the bye week? Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson have dominated snaps this season with Tanoh Kpassagnon rotating in behind them, and backup defensive end Kyle Phillips played just five snaps last week in Minnesota. They didn’t sign Pierre-Paul just for him to go through the motions in practice, so look for him to get some opportunities in obvious passing situations after the break.

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Report: Free agent DE Jason Pierre-Paul to sign with Saints

CBS Sports insider Josina Anderson reports that free agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul plans to sign with the New Orleans Saints after a productive workout:

There’s that pass rush help the New Orleans Saints were looking for. Free agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is planning to sign with the Saints, as first reported by CBS Sports insider Josina Anderson. Pierre-Paul was flown into New Orleans on Monday for a workout which went well enough for the Saints to offer him a contract.

“I killed the workout,” Pierre-Paul told Anderson before putting pen to paper. “You can tell I’ve been active (and) not just sitting around. The head coach called me in his office to talk about it. I’m still figuring things out.”

Pierre-Paul, 34, was a first round draft pick by the New York Giants back in 2010; the South Florida product went on to earn three Pro Bowl nods and All-Pro recognition in 2011, totaling 94.5 sacks and 21 forced fumbles in 179 regular season games. He most recently played for the Baltimore Ravens after a four-year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

We’ll see whether Pierre-Paul is going to sign with the Saints’ practice squad or 53-man roster. Either way, he’ll be available for their next game with the Atlanta Falcons after coming out of the Week 11 bye. New Orleans has rostered Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Kyle Phillips, and Isaiah Foskey (who is dealing with an injury) while stashing Niko Lalos and Jordan Willis on the practice squad, so someone will get bumped out of the rtoation to make room for him. Stay tuned for official word that the deal has been completed.

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Saints hosted free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul for a workout

The New Orleans Saints hosted free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul for a workout, looking to add juice to their defensive front:

Well this is interesting: the New Orleans Saints hosted free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul for a workout at the team facility on Monday, per the daily NFL transactions wire. Pierre-Paul, 34, recently expressed interest in signing up with a playoff contender — and the Saints, who go on into their bye week on top of the NFC South standings, match that description.

Pierre-Paul fits the athletic prototype the Saints value at defensive end, weighing in at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, and he brings some proven production. He generated 22 quarterback pressures in a part-time role last year with the Baltimore Ravens after posting totals of 29, 65, 44, and 46 in four years with the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He would likely be playing behind Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson in New Orleans (and maybe Tanoh Kpassagnon, too) but both of the young edge rushers the Saints have drafted in recent years are currently sidelined with injuries. It’s worth adding Pierre-Paul to the mix at least until Isaiah Foskey and Payton Turner can return to the field, and maybe longer if they can’t outplay him. We’ll have to wait and see if the Saints can reach an agreement with Pierre-Paul, but there’s clearly interest.

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Saints announce inactive players for Week 10 vs. Vikings

The New Orleans Saints announced their list of inactive players for Week 10 versus Minnesota Vikings. Michael Thomas is going to play:

The New Orleans Saints announced their list of inactive players for Week 10’s game with the Minnesota Vikings, and wide receiver Michael Thomas is going to play. Thomas was arrested in his Kenner neighborhood Friday night but was booked and released without incident, and he traveled with the team to Minnesota. Look for him to start across from Chris Olave when the Saints have the ball on Sunday afternoon.

Here are the Saints players who will not be suiting up, including rookie draft picks Kendre Miller and Isaiah Foskey, both of whom are dealing with injuries:

  • RB Kendre Miller
  • DE Isaiah Foskey
  • QB Jake Haener
  • OL Nick Saldiveri
  • TE Jimmy Graham

He isn’t listed on the inactive list because he’s still on injured reserve, but Vikings all-star receiver Justin Jefferson won’t play either. Here are all of Minnesota’s inactive players on Sunday:

  • S Lewis Cine
  • QB Jaren Hall
  • WR K.J. Osborn
  • LB Brian Asamoah II
  • TE Nick Muse
  • T Hakeem Adeniji
  • DL Dean Lowry

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Analyzing final Vikings injury report vs. Saints

The Vikings are getting healthier heading into the stretch run

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon with Josh Dobbs getting his first start for the franchise.

Throughout the week, the injury report saw multiple names on it with significant starters in limbo for Sunday’s game.

The final injury report is out and the Vikings injury report is extensive.

Saints rule out just two players on final injury report for Week 10 vs. Vikings

Saints rule out just two players on final injury report for Week 10 vs. Vikings

It’s rare to see the New Orleans Saints this healthy at midseason, but they’ve ruled out just two players for Week 10’s game with the Minnesota Vikings: rookies Kendre Miller (ankle) and Isaiah Foskey (quad), neither of whom have made their way into the starting lineup. One other player, fullback Adam Prentice (knee), is questionable.

So they’re looking remarkably healthy, especially compared to the Vikings. Minnesota ruled out just one player (rookie quarterback Jaren Hall, with a concussion) five others are questionable and a sixth player is doubtful for Sunday’s matchup. All-star wide receiver Justin Jefferson is questionable, too, but he isn’t expected to play while continuing to recover from a hamstring injury.

See for yourself on the final Week 10 injury report:

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Reports: Saints rookie Isaiah Foskey dealing with quad strain injury

Reports: Saints rookie Isaiah Foskey dealing with quad strain injury, likely to miss Vikings game and return after Week 11 bye

This is a bummer. New Orleans Saints rookie defensive end Isaiah Foskey suffered a quadriceps muscle injury early in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears, per multiple reports. NewOrleans.Football’s Brooke Kirchhofer shares that the Saints believe Foskey pulled a quad muscle on the game’s opening kickoff. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds that it is a “low-grade quad strain” that could sideline Foskey for the Saints’ upcoming road game with the Minnesota Vikings, but he should be back after the following bye week.

He tried to play through it, but Foskey left the game after Paulson Adebo’s interception midway through the first quarter. The Saints initially said that he was questionable to return before later ruling out an in-game return.

Foskey has been coming on well in recent weeks while competing for snaps behind Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson, so any time missed is going to hinder his development. The good news is that his return could coincide with Payton Turner’s possible activation from injured reserve.

Turner suffered a turf toe injury in the season-opener back in September and is expected to return as soon as Weeks 12 or 13, after the bye week. So the Saints could be adding Foskey (the No. 40 overall pick in this year’s draft) and Turner (the No. 28 pick in the 2021 draft) back to the defensive ends rotation for the back half of the season. That should be welcome news for a Saints pass rush unit that’s tied for the fourth-fewest sacks (17) in the league after nine games.

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