The defensive end position needs to improve, but are the pieces that good?

This is the week. The Saints return to the field, starting training camp at UC-Irvine in California on Wednesday. This will be a much different experience than previous years, as practices will be closed to the public due to NFL policy, something the Raiders also have to deal with. Saints News Network will be one of several outlets covering practices throughout the period.

After looking at the Saints offense, we now turn our attention to the defense. They don’t have nearly as many questions to answer as the offense, but they clearly have a few things we’ll be watching closely during training camp and the preseason. We’ll start our defensive series with the edge position.

Saints Attack Position Previews: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Interior Offensive Line | Offensive Tackle

Depth map: Carl Granderson, Cam Jordan, Chase Young (PUP), Isaiah Foskey, Payton Turner, Niko Lalos, Trajan Jeffcoat, Tanoh Kpassagnon (PUP)

Biggest Storyline: Will the Saints Get What Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey Need?

We’ve covered this topic a few times on Second And Saints, talking about who’s under more pressure to get the job done this season, and that’s Payton Turner. With Tanoh Kpassagnon out of the lineup, Turner is someone who can play in sub-rush packages at a minimum. However, the former first-round pick has more on his plate than just that in a contract year. Turner has only appeared in 15 games for the Saints in three years, and while there are signs of his potential, his availability has been the biggest challenge for him.

As for Isaiah Foskey, he’s entering his sophomore season and he’s definitely in the right mindset. Dennis Allen said the key for him is to just go out there, play football and “let it go.” He struggled with injuries last year and played in 10 games for the Saints, but played mostly on special teams. He played just 83 snaps on defense (13%).

New Orleans should know what they’re getting from Carl Granderson, Chase Young and Cam Jordan. However, the other two players will need to step up to the plate for both short- and long-term success. Tanoh Kpassagnon will be out for a while due to an Achilles injury he suffered in the offseason. Niko Lalos was a standout in the preseason last year and it will be interesting to see if he can even push Turner or Foskey, while undrafted rookie Trajan Jeffcoat showed some early flashes and will be someone to keep an eye on.

Biggest battle: Who starts against Carl Granderson?

Cam Jordan is clearly one of the most experienced players on the roster, and there’s some curiosity about what his workload will look like in 2024. Last year, Jordan was still averaging over 80% of snaps on defense through the first 10 games, but has fallen back on the back end due to injury. Is he still a player who gets the reps, or will that fall more to Chase Young?

The arrival of Chase Young was somewhat unexpected, but the Saints got a player who can really bolster the team’s pass rush. He’s on the PUP list to start, but isn’t expected to stay there long after recovering from neck surgery. He’s certainly hungry and has been praised for jumping in, learning the defense, and getting involved. He’s only 25 and is clearly going to play for a bigger contract next year.

Wildcard: Willie Gay Jr.

While technically a linebacker, I put Willie Gay Jr. in that category as someone who could become the next Zack Baun in Dennis Allen’s defense. That production and usage needs to be addressed for the Saints to continue to apply pressure and increase their chances of impacting the quarterback. Who ultimately goes there remains to be seen, but given his ability as a solid option against mobile quarterbacks and the fact that he should see a lot more playing time, Gay Jr. is someone to keep an eye on. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Early grid projection

There are few surprises to be expected here. Unless the Saints add someone to the room who looks more promising, it will be the usual suspects. Five ends will be there in Granderson, Jordan, Young, Foskey and Turner. Tanoh Kpassagnon will almost certainly go to Reserve/PUP if the final cuts come, and the Saints will have a decision to make going into the season.

The Saints need to be a team that finishes the game. The pressure is fun, but the near-sacks need to become real sacks. New Orleans had their worst sack performance (34) since 2016, when they finished with 30. Overall, the defensive end group accounted for 14.5 of those sacks (42.6%), with 8.5 of those coming from Carl Granderson. Improvement is needed, to say the least, and it remains to be seen if this unit can impact the quarterback more in 2024.