Veteran Defensive Tackles Must Be Far More Disruptive For New Orleans Saints This Season

After an abysmal performance from their defensive tackles in 2022, the New Orleans Saints made a decision to completely revamp the position last offseason. First, the Saints signed free agent tackles Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders. They followed that up by spending a first round draft choice on DT Bryan Bresee from Clemson.

The 2022 Saints allowed an average of over 130 rushing yards per game and 4.5 per carry, ranking a lowly 24th in the league. Most of those yards were surrendered inside, as opponents often had their way with the New Orleans interior. The tackles also made no impact as pass rushers, combining for only 13.5 sacks and 29 QB hits while managing only 16 tackles for loss.

New Orleans ranked 22nd against the run last season, giving up an average of 120 yards per contest and 4.4 per carry. Those numbers aren't much better, but opponents had much greater success with off-tackle and outside runs than running inside. Saints defensive tackles also combined for just nine sacks, 22 QB hits, and 16 tackles for loss.

Bresee was the standout of the group. Despite a mid-season slump, he accounted for 4.5 sacks, nine QB hits, 13 pressures, and seven tackles for loss while deflecting six passes.

Development to the next level is expected, but Bresee flashed the abilities of a perennial Pro Bowler. However, much more is needed from his running mates at defensive tackle.

Nathan Shepherd

Formerly undrafted out of Fort Hays State in 2018, Shepherd had five standout seasons with the New York Jets that caught the Saints attention in free agency. Over those five years, Shepherd had six sacks but 33 QB hits and 39 pressures to go along with 13 tackles for loss.

In his first year with New Orleans, Shepherd played a career-best 594 defensive snaps, 54% of the team's defensive snaps. He had 3.5 sacks, also a career-high, while accounting for eight QB hits, 13 pressures, and four tackles for loss. He'd lead all New Orleans interior defenders with 50 total tackles and 27 solo stops, each the best output of his career.

The 6'4" and 315-Lb. Shepherd has the ability to get quick inside penetration against the run. He also displays impressive power to stand up double teams and shut down inside rushing lanes. As a pass rusher, he doesn't possess flashy moves but can create disruption with his strength and quickness at the snap.

Shepherd, 30, doesn't fill up a stat sheet and is nowhere near the league's top-tier defensive tackles. However, he's a quality member of any rotation and is a serviceable starter alongside Bresee.

While Shepherd produced solid results in his first year with the Saints, the same cannot be said of his fellow free-agent signee last season.

Khalen Saunders

Saunders came into the NFL as a third-round choice in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs out of Western Illinois. Over his four years with the Chiefs, Saunders was a defensive contributor for three AFC championships and two Super Bowl champion teams.

During that span, he improved each season and recorded a total of 5.5 sacks, 11 QB hits, 16 pressures, and four tackles for loss.
Saunders had the best year of his career with Kansas City in 2022 with 4.5 sacks, nine QB hits, 11 pressures, and four stops for loss. This prompted the Saints to target him in free agency, signing him to a three-year contract worth $12.3 million with $6.6 million in guaranteed money.

Saunders, who turns 28 in August, became a fan favorite because of his offensive contributions in goal-line packages late last season. However, he made next to no impact on the defensive side. He appeared in 47% of the team's defensive plays, a career-best 523 snaps, and recorded a career-high 57 tackles. Only one of those stops went for negative yardage and he had just two QB pressures while often getting shoved around against the run.

At 6-feet and 324-Lbs., Saunders possesses the power and underrated agility to be a factor inside. He'll need to show it more consistently to add interior disruption for the New Orleans defense.

Even with the free-agent departure of DT Malcolm Roach, the Saints did little to address this position during the offseason. A sixth-round draft pick was used on Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd, a raw but promising and powerful prospect. Rotational DT Kendall Vickers was also signed in free agency after the draft.

This could be an indication that the Saints believe in the talent that they have along their interior. They'll need continued development from Bresee and better production from both Shepherd and Saunders to pay off that faith and cause havoc in the middle for the New Orleans defense.