The New Orleans Saints pass rush has been a major talking point this season. They started the year off well but had a horrible showing in week three against the Seattle Seahawks. They weren't perfect versus the Buffalo Bills, but Carl Granderson, Bryan Bresee and Cameron Jordan made standout contributions.
Chase Young still has yet to see the field. He will instantly elevate the group when he returns. His timeline is still unclear as he hasn’t practiced. Getting Young healthy and active is paramount to the group's success.
The Saints totaled three sacks in their loss against the Buffalo Bills. Granderson, Jordan, and Bresee each tallied one. This is a perfectly fine number, especially against a strong runner in Josh Allen. Although the increase in production, concerns still were present.
The Saints still lack consistent pressure on the quarterback
The Saints only racked up nine pressures against Josh Allen. This number needs to rise for the defense to be successful. They can’t allow the quarterback to sit in the pocket and pick apart their secondary. They need to consistently provide pressure and speed up the quarterback's internal clock.
The Saints' biggest problem is that they don’t have a dominant presence rushing the passer. Carl Granderson or Chase Young are the closest they have to that, but both have consistency problems. The Saints need someone they can depend on to reach the backfield in obvious passing downs. Either someone has to develop into that, or they have to look elsewhere for it.
The other potential problem is a lack of depth. It’s inevitable that the starters will get tired. The backups have to provide pressure in those instances. They can’t get the offensive line free passes when the stars are on the bench. Chris Rumph II was the only non-starter to tally a pressure against the Bills. This is unacceptable. They need more consistent pressure from the bench.
Despite the future concerns, the group did look improved from week three. Granted, that doesn’t take much, but they were able to speed up Allen. Brandon Staley found the matchups he liked and attacked them. This was prevalent on Jordan’s sack when he beat backup right tackle Ryan Van Denmark. Staley needs to keep this up in the future.
The Saints pass rush still has work to do, but they had a stronger showing in week four. They will have another test against the New York Giants in week five.