One of the best developments in recent years for the New Orleans Saints has been the rise of Carl Granderson. Granderson went from an undrafted player in 2019 to the Saints’ sack leader in 2023. Each season, he has improved, and there’s no reason to think that positive trajectory won’t continue in 2024. In fact, Granderson has a plan to make sure that it does continue.
While many people were impressed with his growth last season, Granderson believes he could’ve been much more productive. He explained that in a recent conversation with the media, saying he felt he hit a wall in the middle of the season. To combat that, Granderson broke down everything about his routine, retooling it so that he can dominate from the start of the season to the end.
#Saints DE Carl Granderson said that he felt he "hit a wall" mid-season last year after a faster start. Dove in to the his regimen to see how he can ramp it up this year to avoid hitting that wall again in 2024. Wants to be more consistent this year and has goals he wants to hit.
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) June 5, 2024
Carl Granderson is working to avoid hitting a mid-season wall
The stats support Granderson’s feelings. He started all 17 games last season for the Saints, recording 8.5 sacks, 78 tackles, 14 for a loss, and 20 quarterback hits. However, in the first eight games of the season, Granderson had 5.5 sacks, 34 tackles, 9 for a loss, and 12 QB hits. In the final nine games, he only had three sacks, 44 tackles, five for a loss, eight QB hits. He was clearly more productive in the first half of the season.
Hopefully, the deep dive into his regimen will allow for him to make the necessary changes to be productive all season, because the Saints will need him to. With Chase Young joining Granderson and Cam Jordan in the defensive end group, the New Orleans Saints are hoping that rushing the passer won’t be a problem for them in 2024. If Carl Granderson, who has significantly improved each season, can unlock yet another level, getting after quarterbacks shouldn’t be an issue.