The Saints’ decision to move Davon Godchaux may end up doing more than clearing out a veteran who wasn’t producing. It could finally open the door for Christen Miller, the rookie New Orleans has been holding back far longer than expected.
New Orleans sent Godchaux to the Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round pick, with that pick able to become a 2027 sixth-rounder if Jacksonville acquires one. The timing made sense for both sides. Jacksonville needed help on the defensive line after DaVon Hamilton went down for the season with an injury, and New Orleans took advantage of that need to move a player whose role had been shrinking.
For the Saints, the bigger story is what comes next. Miller was a major investment, selected No. 42 in the 2026 NFL Draft by Mickey Loomis, head coach Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.
Yet despite that kind of draft capital, the Louisiana-born LSU alum has barely seen the field. With Godchaux gone, that waiting game appears to be over.
Godchaux’s play this season made the move easier to justify. He ranked 122nd out of 127 qualified defensive linemen and finished with just one pressure all year. Once known for holding up against the run even when the pass rush wasn’t there, he’s now slipping in that area too.
Miller brings a different profile. At Georgia, he was known as a tremendous athlete who could clog space and help shut down the run. The pass rush remains unfinished business - he had four sacks in four years - but the Saints weren’t getting much from Godchaux in that department anyway.
So far this season, Miller has appeared in parts of four games and made five tackles. That’s a tiny sample, but it also tells the story of how cautiously New Orleans has handled him.
The Saints have been willing to let plenty of young players take their lumps, which makes their reluctance to lean on Miller stand out even more. Now the trade at least clears a path.
The draft pick New Orleans got back won’t be the kind of asset that changes the franchise overnight. Still, it gives the Saints something for a player who wasn’t playing well and creates a chance to see whether Miller can become a long-term anchor on the defensive line.
If he doesn’t seize it, New Orleans may be back in the market for help in the 2027 NFL Draft. Ole Miss’ Will Echoles or Tennessee’s Xavier Gilliam could wind up near the top of Loomis’ list of Godchaux replacements.
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On the eve of the NFL trade deadline, New Orleans made a notable move up front by dealing defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The return is a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2028 NFL draft, with the type of future asset that can shift depending on how Jacksonvilles draft inventory looks down the line.
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That is why the upcoming Saints-Panthers matchup carries so much weight for New Orleans, especially in a division where no one has separated from the pack and even the broader power rankings still have the NFC South clustered near the bottom of the league. The Buccaneers are listed highest among the division teams, with the Falcons, Saints and Panthers following, but the real story remains the same: there is still a path here, and the next stretch will go a long way toward showing who can actually take it. [Read more 🡒]