Best x factors on the Saints defense moving forward
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints have some rebuilding to do this offseason, especially on defense. Their defense lost Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor. Davis went for the New York Jets, which was puzzling in my opinion. Taylor winded up going to the Tennessee Titans, which was also a question mark in my opinion. With that said, there will be some players that have to step up and help their defense take the next. Hence, I’m going to lay out several x factors for their D in 2026.
Danny Sutsman
There has been a lot of praise for Danny Stutsman. He will fill in for Davis and start across Peter Werner. Stutsman was the Saints fourth round draft pick in the 2025 draft. He had 53 combined tackles. He should be more prepared to attack offenses going into his second season. PFF gave him an admirable 71.5 PFF grade. He is a downhill thumper. He will help slow down the likes of Bijan Robinson.
Jonas Sanker
Jonas Sanker will earn a lot of playing time, alongside Julian Blackmon and Justin Reid. Sanker was drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He had two ints, 80 combined tackles, four pass breakups, three TFLs, and a fumble recovery. I’m not saying he will be the next “Derwin James”, but he should be a reliable third safety that sees the field on a lot of third downs.
Bryan Bresee
It may confusing why I’m labeling Bryan Bresee as an x-factor. Well, I believe he has left a lot of meat on the bone. I’d like to see take the next step and make it to the Pro Bowl. He has an unstoppable swim move and he has an unmatched get off. He reminds me of Nick Fairly and Sheldon Rankins, whom played with the Saints.
Jordan Howden
Jordan Howden, who was a 2023 fifth round pick, has some big shoes to fill. The Saints lost Tyrann Mathieu last offseason and then they witnessed Taylor leave this offseason. Both of those defensive backs could make plays around the line of scrimmage. Howden will have to unleash his aggression. He has 122 combined tackles in his prior three seasons. PFF gave him a grade 75.1, which is “okay”, especially with him not getting a lot of playing time last season.
Davon Godchaux
Davon is the scrapper on the defense. He will be their starting nose tackle this upcoming season. He had 43 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble last season. He will be helping is interior defense, which won’t have Davis in the middle, this upcoming season. Davon isn’t a modest pass rusher (as he only had nine pressures), but he can also open up spots for Cameron, Chase Young, and Carl Granderson, Jordan to exploit.
Chris Rumph
Chris Rumph is one of the main reasons that the Saints didn’t swing big for a new pass rusher. He can step in the rotation and bring pressure against the QB. He had 47 tackles and a pair of sacks as a “backup”. Of course, it would still be nice if the future Hall of Famer, Jordan returns to the Gold and Black.
Nathan Shepherd
Nathan Shepard was once the Special Teams Player of the Week in last November. Nathan was a third round pick out of the 2018 draft. He had three sacks, four tackles for loss, 13 QB hits, four TFLs, and 47 tackles a season ago. He is entering his fourth season in NOLA.
Honorable Mention:
Isaac Yiadom
Isaac has been a journeyman at the CB position. He is finally sticking with the Saints and entering year two of the Brandon Staley’s system. He will be the Saints CB3 in 2026. He has more experience than Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley. Hence, he will need to pass down his wisdom.
The Saints need many under the radar players to take the next step and shine. Tyler Shough could make the Pro Bowl. but he’s not a Top-5 QB. He can’t carry his team to the promise land by himself. Besides the upcoming draft, don’t expect serious changes to occur.
Leave a Reply