Who Dat Dish
Fansided

New Orleans Saints 2017 defense: Will it be enough?

By Tyler Raymond

Jan 21, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; East Team defensive end Trey Hendrickson (99) and West Team running back Eli McGuire (1) pose for a photo as Hendrickson is the defensive player of the game and McGuire is the offensive player of the game of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. West Team defeated the East Team 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; East Team defensive end Trey Hendrickson (99) and West Team running back Eli McGuire (1) pose for a photo as Hendrickson is the defensive player of the game and McGuire is the offensive player of the game of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. West Team defeated the East Team 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next

The New Orleans Saints have appeared to have made serious strides to improving the team’s secondary.

Overview:

The Saints secondary last season was unfortunately riddled with injury. Often having to use 5th, 6th, and 7th string cornerbacks, the Saints fared well at times but often got exposed in coverage. With new additions some old and some new to the secondary, both at cornerback and safety, the Saints look to rebound defensively from last year.

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA;  Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA;  Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Additions:

The Saints appeared to start with a strong push for current New England Patriots CB Malcolm Butler but felt the asking price was too high. Among the players, the Saints acquired for the secondary during Free Agency, after cutting Safety Jairus Byrd, the team re-signed former Saints Safety Rafael Bush.

In regards to the 2017 NFL Draft, the Saints showed the NFL the secondary was a concern early, drafting Ohio State’s CB Marshon Lattimore with the 11th overall selection. The team also drafted a ball hawking safety, Marcus Williams, out of Utah in the second round. As far as UDAF goes the Saints picked up CB Arthur Maulet out of Memphis. After the Saints ranked 32nd in pass defense in the NFL last season, I’m am very glad the Saints made strides to improve this need.

What Has Changed From Last Season:

The biggest takeaway for me about what has changed about the New Orleans Saints secondary compared to last season is the talent the team now has, along with experienced corners, some returning from injury. Hopefully, if this season injuries that are bound to happen aren’t a major roadblock for the Saints, expect the secondary to perform a lot better.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 01 (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – NOVEMBER 01 (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

What Will It Take To Get New Orleans Into The Playoffs:

If the New Orleans Saints want to make the playoffs what it will need from the secondary is passion and NO INJURIES. I can’t stress this enough. The health of this team will dictate how the New Orleans Saints perform this upcoming season. It doesn’t matter who the team the Saints have to play each week is. If the team isn’t healthy, don’t expect the Saints to put up much of a fight. As far as the passion goes, the secondary needs to stay passionate and play to their hearts are content. That will hopefully give the athletes a chance of making game-changing plays for the team.

Home/Saints News