What should the Saints carry over from 2025, and what needs to look different in 2026? That’s the big defensive question as New Orleans gets ready to open the season against the Detroit Lions.
The Saints are coming off a strong finish to 2025, and the hope is that momentum can turn into something bigger this year. Cam Jordan is back, Tyler Shough now has a full offseason and a year of experience, Chris Olave is under contract for the future, and Kellen Moore is entering his second full season as head coach while continuing to shape the team’s culture and offensive identity.
On the defensive side, Brandon Staley’s group deserved more attention than it got. New Orleans kept winning tight games late in the year, and the defense played a major role in that surge.
Jordan turned in a renaissance season, Chase Young posted the best year of his professional career, and the line helped set the tone. The bigger question now is what Staley has planned for 2026.
One of the most interesting pieces from 2025 was how Staley used personnel and coverage. During his time as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator, the “star” role was handled by Jalen Ramsey, a do-it-all defender who moved around the formation.
With offenses leaning harder into 11 personnel and spread looks, the league has increasingly turned to lighter defensive packages. The Saints may have a version of that idea in mind with safety Jonas Sanker.
The numbers from 2025 point to a defense that was far more layered than it looked at first glance. New Orleans ranked 30th in two-high coverage rate overall, which makes it sound like a mostly single-high unit. But when Staley used base personnel, the Saints played two-high looks 75.2% of the time, good for second in the league.
That approach made sense. Base plus two-high was used to help handle the run while still staying competitive against play-action throws.
The Saints ranked third in the amount of base + 2-high snaps, and on those play-action dropbacks they allowed -0.20 EPA/dropback. On other personnel and coverage combinations, that number jumped to 0.26 EPA/play-action dropback.
The run defense was a strength too. New Orleans finished with the third-highest EAP/rush allowed at -0.11, and Staley kept mixing up five-man fronts and assignments. Demario Davis was a big part of that success, and replacing him is never easy, but the structure still gave offenses problems.
There were also a couple of notable late-season wrinkles from Staley, according to SumerSports. When offenses came out in 12 personnel and tried to run against a box with seven or eight defenders, the Saints held those 102 rushes to -0.119 EPA/rush. The opponents in the second half of the season weren’t exactly top-tier, but the plan still worked.
In the passing game, the Saints usually kept things simple from those five-man fronts and rushed four. On 83.6% of those snaps, they dropped an edge, and that was usually Carl Granderson. When Granderson dropped into coverage, opponents produced -0.542 EPA/dropback and a 33.3% success rate in a small sample.
Kaden Elliss gives Staley another useful piece to work with in 2026. He adds a real blitzing presence and the kind of versatility that lets a defense move him around the line of scrimmage. In Atlanta, he was a key blitzer, and Staley should have plenty of ways to use him off the edge and from different spots.
That flexibility is what makes this defense so intriguing heading into 2026. The Saints have already shown they can disguise, mix, and adjust. Now it’s about how far Staley wants to take it.
In Other News...
Saints Captain Picks Just Sparked An Immediate Locker Room Debate
The Saints have settled on their leadership group for the 2026 season, and it is a familiar mix of core veterans and newer voices. New quarterback Tyler Shough is among the nine players named captains, joined by center Erik McCoy, guard David Edwards, EDGE rushers Cameron Jordan and Chase Young, linebackers Chris Rumph II and Kaden Ellis, safety Justin Reid and long snapper Zach Wood.
The bigger surprise is who is not in the room this time around. Alvin Kamara, who had previously worn the captain label, was left off the list, a decision that instantly adds an extra layer to the way this locker room is being organized heading into the season. For a team trying to define its identity around a new quarterback and a still-recognizable veteran backbone, the captaincy vote says plenty about where the Saints think their leadership is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Suddenly Face A Receiver Depth Problem Before Week 1
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The workouts do not mean a move is imminent, but they do underline how quickly the receiver picture has changed. For New Orleans, the search right now is less about a splash and more about finding enough dependable bodies to survive the early stretch and give the offense some flexibility if the injury situation lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Cornerback Need Could Put One Steelers Star In Play
The Saints cornerback depth chart has plenty of questions beyond its top names, and that alone keeps the position near the front of the teams needs list. With Christian Gonzalez and the Patriots finding common ground after earlier contract tension, the ripple effect across the league has also left Joey Porter Jr. in Pittsburgh still waiting for an extension, a situation that naturally draws attention from clubs looking for help on the back end.
New Orleans could be one of them if the Steelers talks with Porter continue to stall. Any pursuit would not be simple, and a trade would likely be complicated enough to linger well past the usual early chatter before the deadline, but the Saints have reason to keep an eye on the market and see whether a rare opportunity develops quietly behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]