In 2017, the New Orleans Saints defense erupted out of nowhere. After three consecutive years of being one of the most putrid defenses in the league, a unit with young and promising talent finally burst through. Led by All-Pro defensive end Cameron Jordan and two phenomenal rookie defensive backs in Marcus Williams and 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year Marshon Lattimore, the Saints posted their highest defensive grade in over ten years according to PFF.

However, something changed in 2018. While the run defense and tackling remained as marvelous as ever, the secondary fell behind. Lattimore and the rest of the secondary lacked the pass coverage that drove the units stinginess from a season ago. While New Orleans is still one of the top tier teams in the league, if the franchise wants to make another run, it must avoid another regression.

Let’s look deeper into what happened in 2018:

Lattimore’s regressions and bounce back

As I mentioned, Lattimore’s rookie campaign was awe-inspiring. Stepping immediately into the spotlight for the Saints secondary, Lattimore demonstrated why he was a top-15 draft pick. The cornerback was targeted 80 times throughout the season and limited those passes to a 53.8% completion percentage. Lattimore also broke up 13 passes, intercepted the ball five times and made some sensational plays for the defense the entire season like the one below.

Step aside, butt fumble. The butt interception is here ??? #ATLvsNO pic.twitter.com/nNLRwnGkKM — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 24, 2017

Now, you may see that interception and say that was a “right place, right time” sort of play, and to an extent, you would be correct. But it’s the intangibles that set Lattimore apart from others in his class. The awareness and ability to take over and be a leader has helped propel Lattimore forward.

In 2018 though, his pass coverage took a nosedive in the first half of the year. Lattimore gave up the first touchdown of his career in week one against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He would also earn the worst coverage grade of his career in that game, according to PFF. While he had one less interception than the previous season, his pass breakups were less than half of what he achieved breaking up just six passes.

While he did not return to his 2017 form, he would bounce back and improve in the second half of the season. It was promising to see, however, if the New Orleans Saints want to take the next step, they need their leader in the secondary to pick up his play.

Where in New Orleans is Ken Crawley?

Let’s talk about a complete, disappearing act. In 2017, Saints cornerback Ken Crawley had the best year of his adolescent career. He was targeted 105 times throughout the season and held opposing teams to a 52.4% reception rate. Crawley also backed that up with one interception and broke up 14 passes. The signs pointed to him being a valuable contributor in the secondary.

2018 was a year to be forgotten in New Orleans for Crawley. After a promising campaign the year before, he became an outright liability in pass coverage. Opponents were completing 71.4% of their passes and were averaging an NFL passer rating of 141.4 when throwing against him. His performance was so atrocious that it propelled the Saints to search for help in the secondary, and in turn traded with the New York Giants for CB Eli Apple. After week seven Crawley would only play 62 snaps the rest of the season.

It is a prove-it year for Crawley, as he becomes a free agent after the 2019 NFL season. If he continues the trajectory he is on, it would be surprising to see New Orleans sign him to another deal. But, if he can deliver another season akin to his 2017 performance, he may be able to continue his career with the team.

The Bright Side

With all the doom and gloom there is a light at the end of the tunnel, let’s begin with the midseason 2018 trade. Eli Apple was part of the resurgence in the secondary last season. The first couple of games Apple played with New Orleans he did struggle, but rightfully so when he was thrown into the fire while learning a new playbook. As the weeks went on, Apple found his spot in the secondary and had a great year.

Apple intercepted two passes in the 12 games he played with New Orleans, 100% more than he had in the 30 games he played in New York. Expect an even better season for Apple as he gets to start the season with more cohesion the season compared to when he was traded.

On top of that, the Saints drafted a boom or bust player in 4th round pick Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Playing as a safety for the Florida Gators Gardner-Johnson flashed tons of potential during his college career. He allowed a stupendous 45.4 passer rating in coverage according to PFF. Gardner-Johnson is highly aggressive with his play, and while that can be good in terms of producing turnovers and stopping players at the line, he is also known to take bad angles and miss tackles on occasion.

While he may not crack the starting lineup with Lattimore, Marcus Williams, Vonn Bell, and Apple commanding the top spots, his raw talent might allow him to be used all over the field. The rookie told reporters at minicamp, “Wherever they put me at; I said that my first day in here, I don’t really care, I’ll go out there and play football. They can have me at safety and nickel the whole time, (or) if they want me at corner I’ll go play corner.”

There is a lot of promising talent on the New Orleans Saints roster, and if they perform to their ability, the secondary will be one of the best in the league. The best part is this group is built off of trust. Lattimore, Bell, and Apple are all alumni of Ohio State playing with each other during their collegiate careers. Marcus Williams and Marshon built their confidence together in 2017. It will be a sight to see when this unit takes the field to begin the season, and if they can stave off an underwhelming start, it should have New Orleans primed for a successful and dominant season in their quest for a second Lombardi Trophy.

Zachary Knerr is a writer for PFN covering the NFC South. You can follow him @ZachKnerr on Twitter.