The Saints defensive line has a glaring problem that needs to be addressed and PFFs Zollan Buday has it ranked as the worst group in the NFL.
Zollan believes that Carl Granderson is the only bright spot on the Saints defensive line and that the Saints won't see much production from the rest of the pass rushing crew.
"Edge defender Carl Granderson paced the Saints' defensive line in snaps and PFF overall grade in 2024, and he is not expected to have much help in 2025. Granderson ranked 18th among 119 edge defenders with a 79.7 PFF overall grade last season, and the team's next-best player wasChase Young, whose 66.8 mark ranked 50th".
Zollan also believes that the Saints interior defensive line will be the biggest issue on the Saints defensive line this season, as none of the starters brought much production to the table last season per PFF's grading. That includes Bryan Bresee.
Bresee led the team in sacks with 7.5,, but that wasn't enough. Buday wrote "it looks even worse on the interior, where neither of the team's three experienced players ranked among the top 70 players in PFF overall grade at the position in 2024."
The Saints need to find help on the defensive line immediately
The Saints defensive line had their share of struggles in 2024, poor run defense, missed tackles, and a lack of pressure on quarterbacks were the reasons for their woeful production. They re-signed Chase Young for 3 more years and still retain all 4 starters from last season, on a defensive line that finished 30th against the run and 19th in total sacks.
It's pretty obvious that the Saints desperately need help on the defensive line, they are missing a game wrecker on the edge and a run stuffer on the interior. The Saints have decided to continue with the guys in house and didn't do much to upgrade at the position this offseason. Because of this approach, the Saints will continue to be amongst one of the worst defensive line groups in the NFL.
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