The Saints’ linebacker room is going to look different with Kaden Elliss back in the mix, and Danny Stutsman didn’t waste time spelling out why.
After spending a year next to Demario Davis and then an offseason around Elliss, Stutsman has already seen the contrast. The change, as he described it, isn’t really about one player being better than the other. It’s about Elliss bringing a different kind of damage to the defense - the kind that shows up when the quarterback starts feeling heat from a linebacker.
Stutsman put it plainly when he talked to media members: “He's really good at rushing the passer. He can get to the quarterback. I think he's the best linebacker in the league at doing that,” Stutsman declared.
That reputation isn’t coming out of nowhere. Elliss logged 7 sacks in his last year in New Orleans, and while he didn’t hit that same total in Atlanta, he was still living around the quarterback. According to PFF, he has the most pressures among linebackers over the last 3 years.
That skill set lines up neatly with Brandon Staley’s style. Stutsman pointed out how much Staley likes to blitz, and Elliss fits that lane perfectly. Put a coordinator who wants to send linebackers after the quarterback together with a linebacker who thrives doing exactly that, and the fit makes itself.
The Saints clearly know what they have, too. Even though Elliss is listed as a linebacker, the incentives in his contract are tied to sacks.
That starts once he gets to 5 sacks, and the bonuses increase with each sack all the way up to 12. That kind of setup doesn’t happen unless both sides have already agreed on how he’ll be used.
And early in camp, there’s already a hint of what that role can look like. Elliss has been getting through the offensive line and closing in on Tyler Shough. He’s dangerous as a blitzer, which is the point Stutsman emphasized, but he can also rush off the edge.
For a Brandon Staley defense, the STAR position is usually the chess piece. Now the Saints have another one in Kaden Elliss.
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