No one thought that former New Orleans Saints linebacker Zach Baun could take the next step, but he proved them wrong last year by winning Super Bowl LIX and being named a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler for the first time. Pete Werner, on the other hand, finds himself in a similar yet slightly different situation. He's also entering a Vic Fangio-esque defense under Brandon Staley.
Werner has played at a respectable level since the Saints selected him in the second round of the 2021 draft and signed a three-year extension with the team back in 2024. However, he has yet to get past the level of very good. If he can take that next step in his career, it would be the linebacker's best-case scenario come to fruition.
And Demario Davis, while elite, can't be the ageless wonder forever. That's why if Pete Werner can take that next step, it would be more than ideal, not just for the linebackers but for the team as a whole.
Why it's vital for Pete Werner to take that next step
For the Saints, there are few proven players available to support Demario Davis, who is expected to be a future team Hall of Famer. Werner is the de facto LB2, but as said before, he is still only very good at most. Over the past four seasons, he has played in 56 games and gathered 327 tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, one interception, and half a sack.
Pete Werner becoming an elite linebacker would be shocking and transformative for the Saints defense. It would require him to be more efficient in space and also stronger in coverage. These improvements would likely give the Saints one of the best linebacker duos in the NFL.
Werner taking over as the top guy would put less pressure on the shoulders of Davis, who has been relied on week in and week out since signing with the team. That version of Werner paired with Davis could give the Saints a no-fly zone in the middle of the defense. It would also go a long way for helping the run defense.
Werner taking a Baun-type leap would make up for any drop in Davis' game. At worst, Davis should a strong downhill presence. Werner tapping into an unseen level would give the Saints another playmaker at linebacker for the present and future.
The Saints drafted Danny Stutsman in the fourth round this year. An ascension from Werner would keep the young guy at bay until Davis retired and could lead to a Werner and Stutsman duo, opposed to Stutsman replacing Werner next to Davis.