Jordan Howden has been a regular face in the New Orleans Saints secondary, so it was a little jarring to see him not in the starting lineup next to Tyrann Mathieu on Sunday. But the Saints coaching staff had a good reason for making a change: Howden was sidelined in practice to start the week with an illness that was still limiting him.
That prompted them to call up Johnathan Abram, who took Howden’s place as Marcus Maye’s fill-in. And Abram certainly made the most of that opportunity. He tied with Mathieu for the second-most tackles in Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while also forcing a fumble, intercepting a pass, and breaking up another throw into his coverage.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen complimented Abram’s performance after the game, saying: “I thought he played really well, I was extremely proud of him. Happy for him, the way that he played. Great effort play on the strip to cause a fumble that Demario (Davis) recovered. There was a number of things he did well, but that stands out.”
Allen pointed to Abram as a veteran in the defensive backs room who has spent more time studying game tape than maybe anyone else on the roster; Abram started out on the practice squad to start the year before getting chances to dress out for games here or there prior to this start. Props to him for seizing his opportunity.
Maybe it’ll lead to a larger role for him with free agency on the horizon. A former Raiders first-round draft pick out of Mississippi State, Abram suited up for a couple of different teams last year before he reunited with Derek Carr in New Orleans. He quickly established himself as a valuable player on the depth chart, and the Saints are fortunate to have him. We’ll see if he can continue to make a positive difference in Week 18’s regular season finale.
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