Jonas Sanker is stepping into the biggest defensive assignment on the New Orleans Saints’ Week 1 board, and it comes with no warm-up.
Against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Saints are asking Sanker to handle Brandon Staley’s STAR role for the first time, a job that became available after Alontae Taylor left for the Tennessee Titans this offseason. Rather than bring in a new STAR, Staley chose to move Sanker into that spot. He’s looked excellent this offseason and made noticeable strides in training camp, but none of that carries much weight now that the games count.
The challenge is immediate. Sanker did not play in the preseason, so Sunday will be his first real test against live competition.
And there’s no easing into it - Detroit’s offense is loaded, with Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jameson Williams all ready to stress a defense in different ways.
The Lions can hurt you on the ground and through the air, which means Sanker has to look comfortable fast.
No one is expecting perfection from him in his first game at a new position, especially not against an offense this dangerous. What matters most is whether he can handle the assignment, finish the situations he’s in, and keep explosive plays in check.
That’s the heart of the STAR role. It lives near the line of scrimmage, stays close to the ball, and puts the defender in position to make plays or clean up in open space.
Taylor had trouble there in 2025, and the missed tackles piled up. He finished the year with a 12.4% missed tackle rate, a number that was simply too high for the Saints’ liking.
Sanker may not be flashing the same splash plays right away, and that part could take time. But if he handles the routine work on Sunday - if he makes the tackles he’s supposed to make - that alone would count as a major step forward for New Orleans.
Detroit is still likely to move the ball and put points on the board. The Lions are too talented to be blanked. But if the Saints can force some of those drives to end in field goals instead of touchdowns, that’s a win for the defense, and a lot of that responsibility lands on Sanker.
It’s a lot to ask from a player who showed real upside in 2025 and earned the staff’s trust by moving into this role. Now he has to validate that decision in the most unforgiving way possible: under the lights, against a loaded offense, in his first game at STAR. If he looks steady and reliable, the Saints give themselves a real shot at opening the season with a win.
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John Harbaugh has already made it clear the Giants will sort out playing time by performance, not by salary, and that leaves Adebo in a familiar prove-it spot. He was not listed as a starter on the Week 1 depth chart in his second season, which only adds to the uncertainty around how prominent a role hell have as New York tries to sort out its secondary. [Read more 🡒]