Beyond the running back buzz, the Saints' defensive tackle unit remains a critical, overlooked weakness that could derail championship aspirations.
If Super Bowl 60 showed the NFL World anything, it was that a great interior defensive line can destroy an offensive game plan, and an excellent running game can change the outcome of any game. Interestingly enough, those two aspects of the game go hand in hand. A top-tier interior D-line can stop the run, but an excellent RB may be able to overcome that.
For the Saints, they don't have either of those things. While RB needs to be fixed and is already a major topic of conversation around the Saints' offseason plan, especially with Jeremiah Love constantly being mocked to New Orleans, DT is going under the radar. Last offseason, in Kellen Moore's first year, they tried to address the trenches and get that right before year 1. Although it worked in some areas, DT was far from good.
The Saints' Current DT Room
In the offseason, the Saints made a smart trade with the New England Patriots for Davon Godchaux, who was the big nose tackle that the roster needed. Although at the time, it looked like an under-the-radar move that could really work out, Godchaux's first season was not good. At times, he showed why the Saints traded for him, but it was way too inconsistent.
The other addition New Orleans made was drafting Vernon Broughton in the third round, which is a significant investment. Broughton flashed during his first two games, but got injured and was ruled out for the rest of the season. He is an unknown right now.
That leaves the rest of the DTs that were already here. Bryan Bresee improved a bit in run defense and again showed how dangerous he could be in the pass rush, but he still has not become the star DT the Saints hoped for when drafting him. Nathan Shepherd actually had a pretty good season and is a good depth piece.
With this current room, there is no way the Saints can compete against the top teams in the NFL. The run defense was able to hold their own a bit, but getting a young nose tackle to replace Godchaux could skyrocket the potential of this group. They will be able to finally rely on someone taking double teams and still win at times. This would unlock the Edge rushers and pass rush DTs like Bryan Bresee. Also, adding another late-round young DT to try to compete would be a great idea.