The New Orleans Saints fell short against the Buffalo Bills. Though it keeps the Saints out of the win column, it was far from all bad for the team. Jonas Sanker stood out as a shining bright spot. As a young player, Sanker's performance is bigger than just one game. It is the first noteworthy showing from a player who has the potential to be a part of New Orleans' rebuild.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore gave the third-round pick a shoutout following the loss. "I thought he was awesome," Moore said to the media. "Jonas is a player that we think very highly of. I thought he played in some really contested sitautinos and battled playing against some of their premeir players... for him to compete the way he did, there's a lot of excitement around him."
It's not just Sanker's head coach saying he had himself a day. Pro Football Focus had given him an overall grade of 80.6, the highest among the Saints' defensive backs. The rookie out of Virginia had two key pass breakups and his first career interception in the loss to the Buffalo Bills. It's the best game he's had all season and yet another sign of the rookie's bright future.
Saints' Safety Jonas Sanker has grabbed the bull by its horns
So far this season, Jonas Sanker has seen 223 snaps, which is probably more than anyone expected if you asked them just three months ago. Heading into his rookie season, he was expected to be at most the third-string safety, as the starting spots were locked down already. However, Tyrann Mathieu's unexpected retirement in late July and his replacement Justin Blackmon's season-ending injury have led to Sanker's career being expedited.
After Week 1, Sanker was given a one-in-a-million chance at securing a starting job in the National Football League. Safe to say that with it, Sanker has grabbed the bulls by the horns, becoming the highest graded defensive back in black and gold on Pro Football Focus with a season grade of 75.3.
He'll have more opportunities to impress next Sunday, when the Saints return to New Orleans to take on the New York Giants at noon.