A very small sample size last season
Before last offseason, one area the New Orleans Saints have not invested heavily in since drafting Bryan Bresee in the first round has been at defensive tackle. There have always been more pressing needs to be addressed, but because of that, the Saints have continued to have issues in their DT room. If Bresee were an extremely high-level player, this lack of investment would make a bit more sense, but he hasn't. This position is once again an issue going into draft season, but one player may be the unknown commodity that could turn this room around.
In the 2025 NFL draft, the Saints selected DT Vernon Broughton out of Texas with the 71st overall pick, and finally, the team paid attention to this position group. In Brandon Staley's scheme, adding another DT was needed because he usually uses three on the field. Yes, Granderson or another big edge rusher could be used instead, but in a perfect world, Staley could have two DTs at defensive end, with one as the nose tackle. With Bresee being a pass rush specialist, he fit into that 3-4 DE role, and after trading for Davon Godchaux, they got their nose tackle. The Saints had some depth for that other DE spot, but after selecting Broughton, he could be slotted into there. The only issue was that he needed to develop.
Broughton did not play in Week 1, but in Week 2, he finally got some game time, and it was not bad. Definetly not a complete product, but Broughton looked decent in that DE role. With him reuniting with Bo Davis from their time in Texas, a faster development was a real possibility, but Broughton picked up an injury in that game and was done for the season. A setback like this is nearly a worst-case scenario for the Saints and Broughton, but coming back healthy, the young DT will have more time this offseason to develop and really upgrade the Saints' DT room. This would be the equivalent of selecting him this year, and in 2026, it will be his second rookie year.
Will the Saints need to keep investing in the DT room? Absolutely. Getting a rookie behind Godchaux would be a really smart move, and planning for Bresee's potential departure after this season makes sense. But if Broughton can develop and become a good starter, the entire defensive line will improve, and the odds of Bresee leaving become much higher.