John Ridgeway III: A Late-Season Returner Who Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
When Brandon Staley took over the Saints’ defense in 2025, he didn’t just bring a new voice-he brought a new identity. Staley installed a base 3-4 scheme, a shift from the 4-3 front New Orleans had leaned on for over 15 years.
And while scheme changes can be bumpy, this one clicked. The Saints’ front seven began to show signs of life, with a deeper, more versatile rotation that gave them flexibility up front.
One of the names in that rotation, at least down the stretch, was defensive tackle John Ridgeway III. Though his 2025 season was limited to just four games, Ridgeway’s impact was worth a closer look-especially as he heads into free agency.
Let’s rewind a bit. Ridgeway, a fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in 2022 out of Arkansas, didn’t stick long in Dallas.
He found a home in Washington for two seasons before being traded to New Orleans just ahead of the 2024 season. That year, he appeared in 13 games, carving out a role as a rotational piece on the interior.
Heading into 2025, the expectation was that Ridgeway would compete for a larger role in the revamped front.
But a pectoral injury derailed those plans early. Ridgeway landed on injured reserve before the regular season even kicked off, stalling his momentum just as the Saints were reshaping their defensive identity. He didn’t make his season debut until Week 8 against the Buccaneers-a game the Saints dropped-but after that, he was inactive for nearly two months.
Then came Week 16. With injuries and rotation needs opening the door, Ridgeway stepped back in-and made the most of it.
He recorded a season-high four tackles in a win over the Jets, showing the kind of physical presence that had intrigued the Saints’ coaching staff in the preseason. He followed that up by starting the final two games of the year, notching six combined tackles against the Titans and Falcons.
In total, Ridgeway finished his 2025 campaign with 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit across four games-two of them starts. Modest numbers, sure, but they came in limited action after a long recovery. And more importantly, they came at a time when the Saints needed bodies in the trenches.
Now 26 years old and heading into his fifth NFL season, Ridgeway enters free agency with a few things working in his favor. He’s big (6-foot-5, 321 pounds), experienced in both 3-4 and 4-3 systems, and has shown he can be a serviceable depth piece when healthy. The Saints are likely to look for upgrades along the interior defensive line this offseason, but that doesn’t necessarily close the door on Ridgeway returning-especially on a team-friendly deal.
He may not be a game-changer, but in a league where defensive line depth is always at a premium, Ridgeway has shown enough to keep himself in the conversation. Whether that’s back in New Orleans or somewhere else, he’s proven he can contribute when called upon.