New Orleans Saints DL depth chart ahead of 2022 NFL Draft

Backups: Tanoh Kpassagnon, Kentavius Street, Albert Huggins, Payton Turner

New Orleans has done a nice job adding solid depth in case one of their starters is forced to miss time. Onyemata was suspended for six games last year and Davenport has been notorious for getting banged up during the course of his career so having key backups on the roster is a must for the black and gold.

Tanoh Kpassagnon was a second-round pick by the Chiefs in 2017 and they didn’t re-sign him when his contract was up. The Villanova product was injured during his first year in New Orleans but when he was on the field, he was effective, compiling four sacks through eight games.

The Saints signed Kentavius Street this offseason and while fans most remember him for his hit on Drew Brees that broke the quarterback’s ribs, he’ll be a welcomed addition to this defense. Street had three sacks through 17 games last year.

Albert Huggins has bounced around the league but landed in the Big Easy last year. He appeared in nine games and had 16 tackles and two QB hits during that time.

Payton Turner was drafted in the first round last year, likely to replace Davenport in the event that he didn’t show anything in the fourth year of his career. The drafting of Turner, who appeared in just five games last year, might have lit a fire under Davenport and now the pick looks like a bad one but let’s give Turner more time to show that he was worthy of being a first-round pick.

These backups can step in and carry the load if a starter has to miss an extended period of time.