Saints continue to lose depth in secondary with the departure of Lonnie Johnson Jr.

It was reported that the Houston Texans are reuniting with former New Orleans Saints defensive back, Lonnie Johnson Jr. Johnson, who started his career in Houston, playing his first three seasons with the Texans, spent the last season in New Orleans. Now he plans to return to the franchise where his NFL career got started.

This impacts the Saints because Lonnie Johnson Jr. provided depth in the secondary and was solid when out on the field. During the end of this past season, Johnson kept getting increased snaps due to him playing well. He played 12 games for the Saints and grabbed an interception during his limited snaps.

After it was reported that Johnson would be returning to the Texans, he took to social media to let Saints fans that he’ll always have love for them and that he tried to work on a deal to return, but ultimately couldn’t get it done.

Saints need secondary depth after losing Lonnie Johnson Jr.

Bringing back Johnson Jr. wouldn’t have been a flashy move by any means but it would have been able to keep some much-needed depth. Without it, various players are going to have to step up such as Jordan Howden, Alontae Taylor, and Paulson Adebo. They are going to have an increased opportunity to cement themselves as quality players for the team.

The secondary is becoming an increased need for the Saints. New Orleans recently released veteran safety Marcus Maye, Lonnie Johnson Jr. is now being lost in free agency, and trade rumors have been surrounding Marshon Lattimore all offseason. The Saints need to bring in some pieces to help build out the defensive back room and ensure that it is a strong position, as it has been in previous years. It’s also safe to assume that New Orleans will invest in the secondary during the 2024 NFL Draft.

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