Brandon Staley has wanted Julian Blackmon on his team for years. He finally got his wish, only for it to be snatched away one game into the New Orleans Saints season. The injury may force the Saints to do something they avoided when Tyrann Mathieu retired, start Jonas Sanker
Putting Sanker in the starting lineup would make him one of only two rookies to hold a prominent role on offense or defense alongside Kelvin Banks Jr. Sanker was one of the stars of the preseason. Beyond his late interception versus the Jaguars, Sanker also showed good ball skills and physicality.
Blackmon primarily played deep in Week 1, but the vision was that he and Justin Reid could be interchangeable on the backend of the defense. It didn't work out like that in one game, but that was the plan. The plan doesn't have to change if they start Sanker. He played all over the secondary at Virginia, so the skill set is there.
Do the Saints turn to Jordan Howden or Jonas Sanker?
Sanker may be a preferred choice of fans, but he isn’t the only option. The Saints could also turn to Jordan Howden, who started some games for them a year ago. First Howden has to be healthy enough to play. He missed last week’s game with an oblique.
Recent trends will tell you Kellen Moore will go with a healthy Howden. He’s valued experience every step of the way. Jonah Williams was elevated from the practice squad while young players, Khristian Boyd and Vernon Broughton were healthy scratches.
Howden isn’t much more older than Sanker but he does have the experience edge. However, Sanker has the higher ceiling and was a recent draft pick. It’s time to start pushing into the new era.
Most of the draft picks have yet to break into the starting lineup, but most of the picks also seemed more poised to make impact in 2026 beyond anyway. The injury may force the Saints hands
Sanker may be inserted into the lineup under unfortunate circumstances, but the silver lining is he has the chance to be the future at the position. He was highly thought of after the draft. He delivered on the promise in the preseason. Given the opportunity, it’s time to take the preseason to the regular season.