NOLA Saints: 3 biggest headaches team has had in 2021

Lack of pass rush

Injuries have certainly played a factor in why the NOLA pass rush has been so non-existent, but pass rush is a huge part of the game and the Saints don’t have one. They lost Trey Hendrickson in free agency and that’s been a massive blow to this group. They also lost Marcus Davenport in Week 1 after he showed potential over the summer and Cameron Jordan has yet to record a sack this year, which is pretty surprising considering how dominant he’s often been.

So far, Tanoh Kpassagnon leads the team in sacks with two. Kpassagnon was signed over the offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Chiefs. He’s been an excellent addition to this defense and seeing him lead the team in sacks is proof of that. Everyone else (Demario Davis, Davenport, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Carl Granderson, Bradley Roby, and Payton Turner) have just one sack on the year.

New Orleans is currently tied for second to last in sacks with their eight on the year with only Kansas City having a lower number with a mere seven.

If the Saints want to be taken seriously and vie for the playoffs, their pass rush has to improve. Kpassagnon has been a wonderful addition but Jordan has to start getting hot and being the kind of pass rusher we all know he can be. If Davenport can’t return in a few weeks, this team needs to seriously consider trading for someone who can get to the quarterback because it’s a major problem right now.