State of the Saints: Linebacker

The Saints linebackers were a tremendous bright spot for the team in 2022, which can be attributed a lot to Michael Hodges and their talent level.

Author:
John Hendrix
Updated:
Jan 17, 2023 12:21 PM EST
Original:
Jan 16, 2023

In this story:

New Orleans Saints

In nearly two weeks, the Senior Bowl will be here, which will give the Saints a chance to get some major scouting done to prepare for the upcoming draft. The team is using this week to do their evaluations, according to what Mickey Loomis said last Friday. We'll know more what that means for the coaching staff, and slowly we'll learn what that means for some of the players on the roster.

We continue to look at the 'State of the Saints' going into the offseason, previewing each position with some thoughts for the black and gold. Today is all about the linebacker group, which was one of the clear bright spots on the team.

Previous Previews: Defensive End | Defensive Tackle

Linebacker Overview

USATSI_19030004_168388561_lowres — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss (55) and linebacker Demario Davis (56) tackle Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson (84) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Players Under Contract: Demario Davis, Pete Werner, D'Marco Jackson, Zack Baun, Nephi Sewell (reserve/future)

Free Agent Outlook: Chase Hansen (RFA), Andrew Dowell (RFA), Ty Summers, Kaden Elliss

Priority Level: Medium

Going into the season, everyone's concern was losing Kwon Alexander to free agency. The question was whether or not Pete Werner was ready to take a big leap. He absolutely did, but had to work through some injuries to get there. Still, when he was on the field, the impact was felt in a big way. Later on in the season, Kaden Elliss' number was called upon, and he ended up having a tremendous back half of the season to emerge as intriguing free agent.

While talking about the defensive line, we were sure to highlight the sack production for the Saints defense. The linebackers took it to another level under Michael Hodges, accounting for 13.5 sacks to have Elliss (7.0) and Davis (6.5) finish behind Cam Jordan as team leaders. Demario Davis continued to be the heart and soul of the defense for New Orleans, earning a third-straight Second Team All-Pro Honors. He also finally got selected to the Pro Bowl, which was long overdue.

The Saints are in a fairly strong position going into next year on paper, but will have to figure out if the recently turned 34-year-old Davis will be brought back for his $13.276 million cap charge or not. Ellis is one of the few free agents the Saints should look at bringing back, as they were able to use him and Werner well when the time came. Elliss was great at getting after the quarterback in pass-rushing situations, while Werner was strong against the run on first and second down plays.

Restricted free agents Chase Hansen and Andrew Dowell should be in the mix to return to the team, as they're primarily known for their roles on special teams. However, we've pointed out that the tender tag is going to be higher at a projected $2.433 million for a Right of First Refusal. So, they may not get tagged and then hopefully New Orleans is able to bring them back at a more reasonable price for their roles.

The Saints are always going to need linebackers, regardless of whether they have a group of studs or not. Elliss' price tag is going to be a little higher given his regular season campaign, and we have to just see how the chips will fall with players like Davis. Assuming Michael Hodges returns to the mix as their position coach, then a lot of linebackers will shine under him. Just getting Elliss back with the current players will make New Orleans a formidable linebacker group, and it's certainly a position of strength on the roster going into next season.