New coordinator Brandon Staley headed up a resurgence of the New Orleans Saints defense last season. The unit kept the Saints in several games early last season despite the team's largely woeful offense through the first half of the year. New Orleans finished 2025, their first with Staley, ranked ninth in total defense and fourth against the pass.
A major reason for the Saints success was a vastly improved pass rush. This was especially true about the production from the edge. The Saints had 45 sacks in 2025, tied for eighth most in the NFL, along with 84 QB hits. New Orleans edge rushers were responsible for 28.5 of those sacks, a greatly improved number from each of the previous two seasons. The two most responsible for that output were a return
to form of the legendary Cameron Jordan and a career-best year from Chase Young. Our training camp previews continue with a look at the Saints edge rushers.
- On the Roster: Chase Young, Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, Chris Rumph II, Tyree Wilson, Anfernee Jennings, Fadil Diggs, Michael Heldman (rookie)
- Offseason Losses: Jonah Williams
- Offseason Additions: Wilson, Jennings, Heldman
After signing a three-year contract extension with the Saints, Chase Young promptly missed the opening five games of the 2025 season. This added fuel to the criticisms that Young, the second overall choice in the 2020 NFL Draft, would continue to be underachieving and unreliable. He'd respond with the best production of his six-year career. Young finally showed why he's been so highly touted with 10 sacks, 15 QB hits, 30 pressures, 11 tackles for loss, and returning one of his three fumble recoveries for a touchdown. His challenge will now be to step up more, staying on the field, and becoming a consistently fearsome presence for the New Orleans defense.
Coming into 2025, many doubted Cameron Jordan after two down years. Jordan responded by showing that he still has some high-quality football left in his Hall of Fame career. Jordan had a team-best 10.5 sacks, the seventh double-digit production of his magnificent career. He also led the Saints with 15 tackles for loss and tied Young with a team high 15 QB hits. Jordan and Young made a fantastic tandem on the edge.
Carl Granderson got off to a torrid start to 2025 while Young was out. He'd then completely disappear for most of the year until coming on a bit at the end. Granderson finished with 6 sacks, 23 pressures, 11 tackles for loss, and recorded his first career interception. However, most of that production came over four games while being virtually invisible in most others. This has usually been the case in Granderson's seven-year career.
Chris Rumph is a quiet but solid member of the edge rotation. He doesn't provide a lot of pass rush, but is a high-effort player and good against the run. A seventh round choice in the 2025 NFL Draft, Fadil Diggs saw the field little. He and 2026 undrafted rookie Michael Heldman seem like roster longshots but could be good practice squad candidates.During this springs NFL Draft, the Saints traded a fifth round choice to acquire Tyree Wilson from the Raiders. Wilson was the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but has been a major bust so far. He'll be a free agent at the end of his career and is looking to jump-start his career in a similar way to what Chase Young has in New Orleans.
Another offseason addition was Anfernee Jennings, who never quite developed into the pass rusher hoped with the New England Patriots. However, Jennings plays the run well, offers some linebacker versatility, and could battle Rumph for a spot.
New Orleans made no attempt to add a top edge rusher in either free agency or early in the draft. Instead, the Saints were content in getting production from 37-year-old Cam Jordan for a 16th season. It's a gamble, but Jordan showed he still has some quality football left. This is no longer Cam's defense though, with the torch clearly being passed to Young last year. The Saints now need Young to be a consistent force no matter the competition.
Should either Young or Jordan falter, New Orleans could be in dire straights. Carl Granderson is a very good rotational player, but has proven he isn't a reliable starter. Tyree Wilson could have a breakout season, but there's also a reason why the Raiders moved on from their high draft pick. Edge rusher feels like a position with boom-or-bust potential for the Saints in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints 2026 training camp preview: Which edge rushers join Chase Young?
