We’ll begin by confirming what you probably already know – it is very hard to arrive at any definitive conclusions based on a few plays in the first preseason game. In the months to come, we will probably realize that we learned very little about the 2016 Saints defense from the game in New England this week. However, given that it’s the first Saints football we’ve seen for over 7 months, we’ve spent the week buried in the tape looking at who shone – and who didn’t – in Foxboro. As with our previous preseason installments, we’ll be focusing on individual performances rather than scheme, as what we saw in terms of formation/defensive playcalling was undoubtedly vanilla.

We’ll begin with our usual Stock Watch Table, which gives a snapshot of who stood out for us in New England last week:

Read on for a more detailed position-by-position breakdown of what we saw in Foxboro, and how the Saints defense is shaping up going into the 2016 season.

Defensive Tackles

The battle for playing time at the interior defensive line spots has perhaps never been fiercer. With big Kevin Williams hanging up his cleats, and veteran John Jenkins suffering another mediocre 2016 campaign, there is ample opportunity for youngsters and newcomers to pick up significant playing time in the trenches.

The preferred starting base duo in Foxboro was second-year man Tyeler Davison and first-rounder Sheldon Rankins. Both enjoyed extended auditions, with Davison looking particularly stout in his 27 snaps. It increasingly looks like Davison will fill one of the starting defensive tackle spots when the Raiders come to town in week one – and his commanding showing in New England will have only enhanced his credentials. Sheldon Rankins’ debut was also full of positives. He showed strong ability as both a pass rusher and run defender and looks set to contribute early and often in his rookie season. His strong debut was of course overshadowed by reports of a broken fibula emanating from the Greenbrier this week, which will realistically rule Rankins out for at least two months. Highly unfortunate news for the Saints, blowing the battle for defensive line playing time even more wide open.

Behind the starters, veteran free agent acquisition Nick Fairley saw extended playing time in the trenches. In total Fairley played 27 snaps, which in itself was notable. In previous years (most recently with veteran Kevin Williams), the Saints have tended to give a light workload to their more experienced linemen. It may perhaps have been for conditioning reasons, as at times Fairley looked to be playing at about 50%, but it will be interesting to track Fairley’s playing time and performance going forward. With Rankins now sidelined, and John Jenkins still absent through injury, Fairley looks very much in line for more than a situational role come week 1.

Another lineman who saw extended playing time on Thursday night was rookie David Onyemata. The fourth-rounder played 22 snaps along the defensive line, including some first half action, but was largely anonymous. Occasionally he looked a little soft and overpowered when lined up on the inside, but it will have been a good learning experience for the youngster.

Further down the depth chart, we were excited to see Ashaad Mabry getting an extended second half audition at nose tackle. Mabry almost played himself into a roster spot in the preseason last year, and with the battle very much open for playing time this year, strong performances from Mabry in the preseason could easily earn him a spot in the 53. It was a solid but unspectacular showing from the big man in Foxboro, but with Rankins now ruled out we may well see more from Mabry in coming weeks.

A final mention in the congested battle at defensive tackle should go to free agent pick-up CJ Wilson. He played 17 second-half snaps and looked stout against the run, rounding out a strong performance from the defensive line.

Defensive Ends

It’s a somewhat different story at defensive end for the Saints, where the battle for playing time is very much limited to one spot opposite Cam Jordan, who was given the night off in New England. The killer season-ending injury to DE/OLB Hau’oli Kikaha, also frees up additional “situational pass rushing” playing time on the edges in 2016.

BoiLa-favorite Bobby Richardson put in his usual consistent showing in New England. He quickly emerged as one of the Saints’ most consistent run defenders last year, and looked to be picking up where he left off in Foxboro. Perhaps most eye-catching were a number of successful first quarter pass rushes (including a couple of QB hurries), when rolling against the New England starters. Encouraging signs from Richardson, who looks most likely to pick up a large proportion of the starting snaps opposite Jordan as things stand, particularly if he continues to improve as a pass rusher.

Richardson will need to keep up his high performance levels, though, as a stable of hungry contenders are waiting in the wings eager for playing time. Returning veteran Kasim Edebali was the most notable performer in New England. A “new and improved” Edebali seems to be touted at the start of every Training Camp in recent years, but the defensive end certainly let his on-field play do the talking on Thursday night. Edebali picked up two first half sacks and looked disruptive as a pass rusher in his 24 snap outing.

Edebali is likely to be battling with lean pass rusher Obum Gwacham for situational pass-rushing playing time this year. We gave Gwacham rave reviews last year in his limited playing time, and reports on the former-Seahawk have been highly encouraging over the winter. Gwacham largely failed to fire despite an extended 28 snap outing in Foxboro, which was somewhat disappointing given the offseason hype. We’ll be keen to see a bit of improvement from Gwacham in the next three preseason games – he certainly has the potential to be a key weapon for the new look Saints defense in 2016.

Another face we were keen to see in action was second-year man Davis Tull. The defensive end had flashed some pass-rushing ability in camp last year, before suffering a heartbreaking injury in the preseason which ruled him out of the entire 2015 season. Tull played 20 snaps with the back-ups in New England and, despite occasional flashes of pass-rushing ability, was largely subdued. Newly acquired veteran Matt Shaughnessy saw playing time alongside Tull, and aside from nearly picking up a 4th quarter sack, was also otherwise largely controlled by the back-up Patriot linemen.

Throwing a spanner in the works was journeyman free agent Darryl Tapp, who put in a commanding performance (albeit against the more inexperienced New England back-ups). Tapp put his veteran ability to great use as both a pass rusher and run defender, making an impact on almost all of his 15 snaps. Tapp is very much on the fringes at this stage, but will have done his roster chances no harm.

Linebackers

With only one starting spot absolutely set in stone along the defensive line, it’s a slightly clearer picture at the linebacker spots. Stephone Anthony will be shifting from MLB to SLB duties in 2016 – hopefully a move that will benefit all parties. Despite flashes in 2016, Anthony largely struggled in the MLB role. In his short 13-snap first half cameo on Thursday, Anthony looked to be very much still learning his role, looking slightly lightweight and out of position on a couple of snaps. Frustratingly, it then emerged later in the week that Anthony picked up a “lower leg strain” in Foxboro and will likely be out for a week or two. Valuable time lost for him to acclimatise to the SLB role.

Alongside Anthony, new acquisition James Laurinaitis is pencilled in to start at MLB this season. It was a slightly underwhelming debut on Thursday night for the former Ram, who looked soft in coverage on a couple of occasions in his short 15-snap cameo and missed a good opportunity for a sack. It will no doubt take time for the new linebacking corps to gel, and it will be interesting to track Laurinaitis in the coming weeks of the preseason to hopefully see a few more bright sparks.

The most impressive starting linebacker on Thursday was easily returning veteran Dannell Ellerbe. The WLB flashed excellent ability in an injury hit 2015 campaign, and looked quick and strong in his 14 snaps in Foxboro, showing good coverage ability and quick diagnosis and reaction to run plays. If Ellerbe can stay out of the treatment room, he will be a crucial cog in the Saints defense in 2016.

Outside of the starting trio, it was veteran free agent pick-up Nate Stupar who really caught the eye. He played with exceptional energy, quickly diagnosing plays, evading blockers, and also looking accomplished in coverage. Stupar is nothing more than a journeyman, most recently with the Falcons, but his impressive performance in New England was certainly an eye-catcher – particularly with several other linebackers stalling. Stupar spent most of his 29 snaps alongside Craig Robertson, another free agency pick-up. Robertson was altogether less impressive – despite a couple of nice stops against the run, he was more hesitant and much less certain in coverage or reacting to plays outside the tackles.

Undrafted rookie MLB Jeff Schoettmer stepped in for the second half action with the back-ups, but looked very much like an undrafted rookie in his first competitive action. He misread a couple of counter/play action plays, and looked uncomfortable in coverage (in particular failing to locate the ball on one or two occasions). Perhaps a likely practice squad candidate at this stage. Michael Mauti ended up playing far more than the Saints would have hoped last year, albeit acquitting himself to the best of his abilities. He put in a solid but unspectacular 24 snap cameo in Foxboro, with one notable missed sack opportunity in Q4. Nonetheless his experience and special teams abilities make him a solid bet for the 53.

Of all the UDFAs we saw in action in Foxboro, it was probably LB Dillon Lee who caught the eye the most. He only played 9 snaps, but showed great explosiveness from the edge in Q4, getting a couple of good QB hurries and making some nice stops against run. It all came against the basement dwellers on the Patriots depth chart, but Lee may have earned himself a more expansive role in the coming weeks, particularly with Stephone Anthony sidelined. New acquisition Tony Steward made a “blink and you’ll miss it” 5 snap cameo to round out the linebackers in action.

Cornerbacks

So long as both can be healthy for week 1, the starting cornerback duo of Keenan Lewis and Delvin Breaux is already set for 2016. Behind those two, however, there is a great battle developing for the nickel, dime and depth spots. The Saints wisely cut their losses on Brandon Browner in the offseason, whose presence certainly won’t be missed on or off the field in New Orleans this year. This leaves significant playing time available for the rest of the young and hungry cornerbacks on the Saints roster. BoiLa-favorite Damian Swann was ruled out in New England, but sits as the front-runner for the nickel CB spot after an excellent rookie campaign.

With the trio of Lewis, Breaux and Swann sidelined on Thursday, however, it was PJ Williams who filled the #1 CB role on Thursday with Ken Crawley getting the starting nod alongside him as the #2 CB. Williams looked far the more accomplished of the two, showing consistent coverage for his 37 snaps as his side of the field was rarely targeted. A very solid start to what is (effectively) the former-Seminole’s rookie campaign.

For undrafted rookie Ken Crawley however, unfortunately his inexperience showed. Crawley found it much tougher going on his debut, getting beaten deep by fellow rookie Malcolm Mitchell in the second quarter, misreading a couple of Aaron Dobson routes, and missing two tackles. It should function as a valuable learning experience for Crawley, though, and the fact he started shows how highly the staff view him. Fellow UDFA De’Vante Harris also enjoyed an extended 31 snap outing in Foxboro, and the former-Aggie acquitted himself well, outperforming Crawley in coverage in first half action and stepping up to make a few plays against the run. Crawley and Harris are both in the heart of the fight for the 5th CB spot, in a contested battle with several other contenders.

Brian Dixon‘s experience perhaps puts him marginally in front in the #5 CB battle. He put in a strong 25-snap audition in Foxboro, looking good in coverage and rarely being targeted as a result. He picked up a slightly unlucky “double” holding/interference flag in the second half, which was the only real blot on his copybook. Undrafted rookie Jimmy Pruitt also quietly put in a strong 26-snap performance, much like Dixon rarely being targeted. His coverage looked solid enough on the tape, further congesting the battle at CB. Brandon Dixon got a short 5 snap outing as the seats emptied in Foxboro, but with Cortland Finnegan now in the mix as well, probably isn’t a contender in the battle for the 53.

Safeties

Kenny Vaccaro got the starting nod at SS in New England, and played 14 first half snaps before heading to the sideline. Vaccaro flashed some good man coverage on Martellus Bennett on the Patriots second drive, and also made a key open field tackle on a Brandon Bolden draw play to stop a big gain. He faces competition from veteran Roman Harper at the SS spot this year. Harper put in a strong shift himself in Foxboro, making several nice plays against the run, and showing veteran savvy to diagnose and react to playaction and draw plays. Harper’s presence on and off the field should really assist the Saints – and Vaccaro – this season.

Jairus Byrd started alongside Kenny Vaccaro but was largely untested on the day in his short 14 snap appearance. The Saints desperately need some return from the Byrd contract, but his quiet showing in Foxboro gave us few clues.

Behind the trio of Vaccaro, Harper and Byrd, four newcomer safeties were given their Saints debuts in New England. Of the four, it was probably Erik Harris who put in the strongest performance. He showed good coverage over the middle several times in an extended 36 snap 2nd and 3rd quarter audition, and also stepped up into the box to make plays against the run. The former CFL star is aiming to follow the same path as Delvin Breaux into the NFL, and it was an encouraging debut.

Rookie Vonn Bell played 32 snaps on the day once the starters had departed, but had a tough time of it. He took a terrible angle on Gaffney’s 44 yard TD run, missed an easy 3rd quarter interception, and had a bad 3rd down missed tackle in the 3rd quarter. A rough debut for the 2nd rounder, but the only way is up in the coming weeks. Fellow rookies Trae Elston and Jamal Golden had quiet 20 and 9 snap 2nd half cameos respectively, but both look like practice squad candidates at this point.

——————————–

That completes our breakdown of the Saints opening preseason game in New England now. If you missed our stock watch and analysis for the Saints offense you can view it here. We’ll now be turning our attention towards this weekend’s trip to Houston, so do check back on The BoiLa next week to check out or analysis and “Stock Watch” following the Saints second preseason matchup.

To receive an instant e-mail notification every time we post up our Preseason Stock Watch, as well as our weekly Saints grades and snap counts come the regular season then be sure to subscribe to The BoiLa using the box in the sidebar or at the bottom of the page.

And finally… if you want to keep up to date with all that’s going on at The BoiLa then be sure to hit us up on Twitter: @CrAwFiShBoiLa.