Tag: Khristian Boyd

Saints improve the NFL’s worst defense in this 2025 mock draft

The Saints improved the NFL’s worst defense in this 2025 mock draft. Michigan’s big defensive tackle Kenneth Grant may be just who they need next to Bryan Bresee:

No NFL team has given up more yards this season than the New Orleans Saints (2,375), and while much of that has been due to a surprisingly porous pass defense (1,573 yards allowed, third-most), plenty of blame should go to a run defense that’s been a weakness throughout the Dennis Allen era. The Saints are allowing 5.2 yards per carry, second-worst around the league.

So how do they fix it? This 2025 mock draft has a suggestion. Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy has the Saints picking Michigan’s big defensive tackle Kenneth Grant at No. 9 overall. He may be just who they need next to Bryan Bresee.

Grant arrived on campus at an imposing 350 pounds and slimmed down to a more-manageable 339, and he’s one of the best all-around athletes in college football. Michigan has sent plenty of defensive linemen to the NFL but the 20-year-old has broken many of their weight room records while impressing the Wolverines’ strength and conditioning staff.

Whether or not it’s Allen conducting the Saints defense again in 2025, the interior line will need more attention. It’s mostly been a one-man show from Bresee outside of occasional stops by Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders’ impressive interception return (which really isn’t something we should expect from a nose tackle). Rookie draft pick Khristian Boyd has been benched in favor of John Ridgeway III, who the Saints traded for just before the season started.

Someone like Grant could absolutely be in play for next year’s draft. Beyond stopping the run, it’s impressive that he can get after the quarterback (5.5 career sacks) and disrupt passing lanes (9 balls batted down at the line of scrimmage) from a spot that those kind of numbers are hard to come by. But this team has a lot of problems to solve, and it’s too soon to say whether this is the direction they’ll move first.

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C.J. Gardner-Johnson fined for late hit out of bounds on Alvin Kamara

C.J. Gardner-Johnson blasted the Saints for playing dirty. Well, he was the recipient of a fine from the NFL for a late hit on Alvin Kamara:

Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson had a lot to say about the New Orleans Saints after the Week 3 game. This was to be expected. The Saints drafted Gardner-Johnson in 2019, and fans became accustomed to his propensity to talk trash.

After their victory, Gardner-Johnson called the Saints pretenders, but the biggest thing he did was criticize Khristian Boyd’s hit on DeVonta Smith, for which the rookie defensive tackle was fined. He called the play and the Saints, as a whole, dirty.

Dennis Allen denied that earlier this week. Funny enough, Gardner-Johnson had his own play that was late. He slung Alvin Kamara to the ground early in the game while both players were out of bounds.

Just like Boyd’s play, there was no penalty in the game. Just like Boyd’s play, there was a fine after the game, per NBC Sports’ Mike Florio.

Gardner-Johnson’s hit wasn’t as vicious but it was clearly late. It’s pretty ironic that he had so much to say only to be fined playing beyond the whistle.

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Dennis Allen responds to C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s claim the Saints are a dirty team

C.J. Gardner Johnson called out the Saints for having a culture of cheap hits and playing dirty. Dennis Allen denied that notion:

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith took a hit from Khristian Boyd that led to him suffering the concussion. In that play, Smith was being pushed back by New Orleans Saints defenders before the hit. There didn’t seem to be ill intent involved.

After the game, Smith’s teammates C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Jordan Mailata called the play dirty. Mailata kept it at that, but Gardner-Johnson went further and connected the play to the culture of the team.

Dennis Allen responded to a question about the play, but his answer leans towards a response to Gardner-Johnson’s culture point. Allen was straightforward on Monday, saying, “I don’t think we play dirty. I don’t think we ever have played dirty. It’s not the way we coach it, not the way we teach it.”

Allen instead said his team plays hard, and honestly, that’s what the play looked like. Boyd appeared to just be playing through the whistle. You wish he would have let up in hindsight, but this doesn’t look dirty.

Allen made sure to dispel the notion that the Saints are a dirty team by reiterating “dirty” is an inaccurate description of how they play or coach.

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C.J. Gardner Johnson calls out Saints for taking a ‘cheap shot’ on DeVonta Smith

C.J. Gardner Johnson called the play that injured DeVonta Smith the “dirtiest (expletive) I ever saw in football,” but his teammates took a more measured stance:

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith left Sunday’s game early with a concussion after a hit from New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd. Former Saints standout C.J. Gardner-Johnson, since traded to Philly, didn’t hold back after the game.

Gardner-Johnson called that play the “the dirtiest (expletive) I ever saw in football, bro. Y’all obviously saw forward progression was stopped. For them to take a cheap shot on one of our key players, it goes to show what type of team that is.”

Gardner-Johnson has his own history with the New Orleans Saints that likely plays a part into at least his assessment of the team as a whole.

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata was more measured in his response, though like his teammate he called it a dirty play. Mailata was admittedly conflicted on whether Boyd was setting out to deliver a cheap shot: “Did I think it was dirty? Yeah. Did I think it was intentional? No — ah, I don’t (expletive) know. I’ve got to watch it.” Boyd, of course, maintained he was just playing football and not looking to injure Smith. Mailata acknowledged that the defensive tackle was trying to make a play.

The truth of it all is the play could have been avoided, but it was a bang-bang play. Boyd shouldn’t be considered dirty for this play. It looked like he was genuinely trying to deliver a big hit to close out the play. It wasn’t necessary, but it didn’t appear to be malicious either. You obviously wish Boyd would have pulled up, because it would have kept Smith from suffering this injury.

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Khalen Saunders expected to miss several weeks with calf injury

The Saints may have to shuffle their cards on roster cut-down day, as Khalen Saunders is expected to miss several weeks with a calf injury:

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to a calf injury, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. This news comes on roster cut-down day and leaves the Saints with some pretty intriguing questions to answer as they begin to trim down the roster to its official 53-man size.

The Saints have options, as they could place Saunders on injured reserve, leaving him out of the lineup for four games but opening an extra roster spot for the duration. Otherwise, they could keep him on the active roster if the injury is expected to have a shorter duration than that and find a way to replace him for two to three weeks until he is healthy.

As for his replacement, the presumably obvious answer would be Nathan Shepherd, who started all 17 games for the Saints with Saunders along the defensive line. The other possible option would be rookie sixth-round pick Khristian Boyd, who has been the subject of quite a bit of hype throughout the offseason process. He has exceptional athletic skills and physical traits that make him an intriguing prospect, and may lead to him getting at least some share of the snaps left behind by Saunders. Bryan Bresee had already replaced Saunders in the starting lineup next to Shepherd so expect a big season for the second-year draft pick.

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Dennis Allen shares injury updates for rookies Kool-Aid McKinstry, Dallin Holker

Dennis Allen shared injury updates on two rookies, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Dallin Holker, during his postgame press conference Sunday night:

The New Orleans Saints were dealt an unfortunate hand during their second preseason matchup, in which they lost 16-10 to the San Francisco 49ers and sustained a couple of injuries. Rookie cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry exited during the first quarter and Dallin Holker was hurt during pregame warmups. Head coach Dennis Allen shared updates for both players during his postgame press conference.

Regarding McKinstry, Allen said that “He has a knee injury, I think we avoided anything serious. Now, what kind of time we are looking at, I really have no idea. But I think we escaped the game, at least on initial report, without any major injuries.”

His statement saying that the Saints seemed to have gotten away without any major injuries is most definitely a notable one, as the injury to McKinstry looked bad upon first glance. Considering he went to the medical tent twice and then to the locker room, we had no real indications of the severity, though it seems less dangerous than first feared.

As for Holker the severity is unknown, however Allen did not seem specifically concerned about it and did not go beyond a short response about it: “He sprained his ankle pre-game. Prior to really pre-game, just throwing with the quarterbacks early on.”

Hopefully this shows faith in it being short-term issues for both first-year pros, but we will see how it develops in the coming days. Two other rookies were also banged up with former Tulane center Sincere Haynesworth being carted off with a leg injury, and sixth-round draft pick Khristian Boyd leaving under his own power before returning. We’ll watch for updates on both.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Kyler Baugh is the Saints Player of Day 69

Countdown to Kickoff: Kyler Baugh is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 69. The undrafted rookie has a tough road ahead, but he wouldn’t be the first to beat expectations

We’ve got 69 days to go until the New Orleans Saints open up their 2024 regular season, which makes the current owner of the No. 69 jersey our Saints Player of the Day. That’s rookie defensive lineman Kyler Baugh, so let’s get to know him better before diving into realistic goals for him in 2024:

  • Name (Age): Kyler Baugh (22)
  • Position: Defensive tackle
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 305 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 8.56
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $798,333
  • College: Minnesota
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

The Saints signed Baugh as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota, guaranteeing just $25,000 in his rookie contract. For perspective, former Colorado tight end Dallin Holker led the team with $235,000 in guarantees. Baugh was a solid starter at Minnesota the last two years (where he was teammates with safety Jordan Howden, who the Saints drafted last year) but he’s facing a tough road to making the cut in New Orleans. He mainly ran with the second- and third-team defenses at spring practices. Linemen won’t be highlighted until full-contact practices in pads kick off at training camp later this summer.

So how can he make the team? The Saints lost Malcolm Roach in free agency and didn’t make a great effort at replacing him, signing former Las Vegas Raiders backup Kendal Vickers while drafting Khristian Boyd in the sixth round out of Northern Iowa. Jack Heflin is also in the mix after returning from the Saints’ 2023 practice squad. Baugh must prove he’s a better option to round out the Saints’ four-man rotation than any of those guys.

If he can hold up well in run defense while making the most of his opportunities on passing downs, Baugh could make a compelling case for a roster spot. The Saints have a great track record in recruiting and developing undrafted defensive tackles like Roach (2020), Shy Tuttle and Devaroe Lawrence (2019). Maybe Baugh can follow in their footsteps.

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Countdown to Kickoff, Day 97: Khristian Boyd is the Saints Player of the Day

Khristian Boyd is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 97 as we count down to the 2024 kickoff. The rookie defensive tackle has a great opportunity:

Khristian Boyd is your New Orleans Saints Player of Day 97 as we count down to kickoff for the 2024 season. The rookie defensive tackle has a great opportunity in front of him, but before we get to that, let’s get to know him a little better:

  • Name (Age): Khristian Boyd (24)
  • Position: Defensive tackle
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 320 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 4.63
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $839,707
  • College: Northern Iowa
  • Drafted: 199th overall in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: Rookie

Boyd is making a big leap from UNI to the NFL, just like his former teammate Trevor Penning has experienced on the other side of the ball. But expectations are wildly different for him as a sixth-round pick compared to Penning as a former first rounder. All Boyd needs to focus on in 2024 is playing his role well as a run-stopper in relief of Khalen Saunders.

But what if there’s more in store for him? The Saints were too soft in the middle of Dennis Allen’s defense last season, allowing the 11th-most rushing yards per game and twice giving up 200-plus yards on the ground in divisional matchups (Week 12 to the Atlanta Falcons, Week 14 to the Carolina Panthers). The veteran players the Saints have at defensive tackle have not stopped the run well enough, so maybe Boyd can climb the depth chart.

Still, we shouldn’t put too high of expectations on the rookie. He fell so far in the draft for good reasons and we’ve seen how challenging the jump from the Missouri Valley Conference to the NFL can be with Penning. Saddling Boyd with expectations that are too heavy is doing him a disservice. For now, we’ll be happy to see how he performs at training camp and take it for there.

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Saints rise in Bleacher Report’s post-draft power rankings

The New Orleans Saints still have work to do after the NFL draft, but they’ve risen higher in Bleacher Report’s post-draft power rankings:

The New Orleans Saints walked out of the 2023 season with little optimism for the future. Despite being on the cusp of winning the NFC South (low bar, I know) the constant letdowns throughout the year correctly outweighed New Orleans’ near-postseason berth. This perception deepened and was reaffirmed by multiple power rankings listing the Saints in the bottom half of the league to start the offseason.

We’ve now reached another checkpoint in the NFL offseason, the NFL draft. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport took the time to project the outlook for the 32 teams after the draft. It’s the final checkpoint of the offseason. The next influx of meaningful power rankings will likely come around training camp when the pads come on. These rankings are essentially a culmination of all offseason moves. Here’s why Davenport says the Saints are the 19th-best team in the NFL:

It’s been something of a typical offseason in New Orleans. They entered it in terrible salary-cap shape, cleared some room and made a signing or two. But it was the draft where the Saints really looked to improve.

Offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (No. 14 overall) and cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (No. 41 overall) should make an immediate impact. Head Dennis Allen talked up Fuaga in particular while speaking to the media.

“I think I just fell in love with the personality,” Allen said. “I didn’t feel like this player was sitting in front of me trying to sell me something that he wasn’t. I felt a genuine person. And I just felt like he was a man’s man, guy’s guy, dude’s dude, however you want to call it. And I like that. And then when I take that, and put on the tape and I watch him play in the way that he plays, the physicality with which he plays, I thought it was a pretty good fit.”

Fuaga and McKinstry are talented players. But it’s hard to see this year’s Saints team as measurably better than last year’s squad that went 9-8 for the second time in three years.

Of course, the NFC South isn’t exactly a gauntlet of a division. The three teams that could realistically vie for the division title all have flaws.

The Saints aren’t the best of the three teams on paper. But they are close enough to be in the mix.

That draft generated excitement in the fan base and led to a decent rise from New Orleans in the power rankings. They’re still listed below average but not near the basement dwellers of the NFL. The Saints did have a successful draft from Round 1. Picking up Taliese Fuaga should solidify the right tackle position for years to come.

The vision for Kool-Aid McKinstry should become clearer with time, but his talent isn’t to be questioned. Some believe this was a first round talent the Saints were able to get in the second. Khristian Boyd also provides late round value at defensive tackle, another position of need.

The draft was encouraging, but it didn’t propel New Orleans into the top half of the NFL. Actually, it still keeps them third in the division. There’s work to do and look for New Orleans to start adding veterans in free agency. They need to make up ground on division rivals ahead of them like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Davenport’s 15th-ranked team).

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What are the rookie year expectations for Saints DT Khristian Boyd?

What are realistic rookie year expectations for New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd? He has a real shot at playing right away:

The New Orleans Saints normally end up with a lesser-known defensive tackle in undrafted free agency that goes on to contribute for a few years, this time they may have found that player in the draft itself. They selected Northern Iowa’s Khristian Boyd with the No. 199 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. What should fans expect out of him as a rookie?

Strength, power, brawn and muscle are some words that come to mind when thinking of Boyd. He set a school record with 38 reps of 225 on the bench and that translates to his play style as a run stuffer. The word that doesn’t come to mind? Athleticism. Who cares, though?

He’ll be able to fight for a role immediately, but it will be one that is limited. The Saints have three guys that should be considered locks for their rotation in the middle: Bryan Bresee, Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. After that it’s up for grabs. Malcolm Roach left in free agency and they will need someone to replace his production in the run game. He has the size and strength to be a nose tackle in the NFL, his speed won’t really matter.

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