New Orleans Saints: Analyzing the team’s debilitating pass-coverage woes

S Malcolm Jenkins

When the Eagles chose to cut ties with Malcolm Jenkins, many were surprised. Now, however, it appears they might have been on to something.

During his tenure in Philadelphia, Jenkins constantly was statistically one of the best safeties in the NFL. At the same time, his worst season came last season, in which he earned a 67.9 coverage grade.

While that is certainly a satisfactory grade, it doesn’t quite match up with the $32 million contract the Saints gave him to come back to New Orleans; they likely anticipated him continuing to perform like he had in his prime. So far this season, the results have not been pleasant.

Not only is his 47.9 coverage grade a massive step down from recent years, but he has also struggled in run defense (55.3). Although he did change teams, Jenkins’ snaps per alignment are nearly identical to where they were in Philadelphia. Thus, outside of natural regression with age, I cannot explain this decline.

After next season, Jenkins’ contract is easy to get out of. However, there is a lot of dead money attached to next year, so he’ll continue to be a key part of the team’s defensive plans. Considering how much excitement there was regarding his return to New Orleans, here’s hoping he can turn it around.