Through the first period of training camp, there have been some questions as to whether or not the New Orleans Saints defense was really good or if the offense was underperforming. After the joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars, it turns out the Saints defense is just that good.
The offense, ironically, is the unit that proved this to be true. In the joint practice, they quickly got to work. It was such a performance that there's little doubt that it was the offense's best day in camp so far.
That's something that quickly became apparent, with safety Julian Blackmon intercepting the first pass thrown by Trevor Lawrence. That interception also set the tone for the defense, with defensive end Chase Young saying plays like that give the whole defense confidence. Young quickly backed up that claim as well, him claiming six sacks on the day.
The Saints' defense has been standing out all offseason
For the Saints, a great defense can only come from a team effort. It's a good thing, then, that even through injuries, they have had multiple guys standing out this offseason.
Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry is one of them. He's been standing out all offseason and has even managed to get insane one-handed interceptions. Truly impressing teammates on and off the field, don't be surprised to see a C on his jersey this season.
Not all of them are big names either, with former practice squad players/back-end-of-the-roster guys also stepping up to the plate. Cornerback Jayden Price is a prime example, having a great camp as a backup to the STAR role. He even rotated with the first-team defense recently as well, a sign that the coaches see something as well.
Their injuries have also only affected their defensive line for whatever reason. Bryan Bresee is out for the year with a torn ACL, Cam Jordan is out for 'a few weeks" with a hamstring injury, John Ridgeway III has missed practice with a back issue, and Davon Godchaux has been MIA with an ankle issue. New Orleans also managed to get by all the injuries with just one free-agent move, which was just the signing of another DT.
That's probably due to the performance of Vernon Broughton, who missed his entire rookie season last year with a hip injury. Standing out in one-on-ones and team drills, it's honestly really encouraging to see.
All in all, the fact that the stars on the defense range all across the unit is huge. If they can keep it up, then the win total this season might be higher than anybody initially expected.
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