3 Saints offseason decisions that could age poorly

Not re-signing Malcolm Roach

After being drafted by the Saints in 2020, Roach slowly became a better player in each of his four seasons in New Orleans. His career started off slowly, but he didn't play much during the first two seasons, only appearing in 16 games (with two starts) from 2020-2021.

The next two seasons, however, were much more encouraging. He made 13 appearances in 2022, starting three games, and basically set career-bests in every defensive stat across the board. Besides having his first career sack, Roach more-than-doubled his best stats in total tackles, tackles for loss, and assists.

And while his box score stats took a step back in 2023, the advanced numbers were a bit more kind: his overall defensive score (according to Pro Football Focus) was far-and-away the best of his career, and he put up the 4th best run defense score (72.5) on the Saints' defense. On the surface, he looks like a player who's still very much ascending – and he's only 25, so there's plenty of reason to believe that's the case. Maybe there just weren't enough snaps on the defensive line to go around, but even with Jordan and Granderson, New Orleans will miss the depth and run defense that Roach provided.