Eyes On Saints Young Defensive-End Battle At Training Camp

Keep an eye on the New Orleans Saints' young defensive ends — Foskey, Granderson, and Turner — during training camp.  Saints all-time sacks leader Cam Jordan needs a steady partner to complement his production on the right side of the defensive line.  New Orleans drafted Marcus Davenport (2018) and Payton Turner (2021) in the first rounds as Jordan's heir-apparent, but injuries hampered both players' development.  Davenport signed a 1-yr, $13M free-agent contract with Minnesota, and Turner is in what may be considered a pivotal year with the Saints.  Who will step up as Jordan's full-time right-hand man?

YOUNG DEFENSIVE ENDS SET TO BATTLE

Payton Turner:  In two seasons with New Orleans, the 6-6 and 270-pound athletic defensive end has 13 game appearances. In eight games last season, Turner produced two sacks, five TFLs, three QB hits, and 16 tackles.

Carl Granderson: The 6-5 and 261-pound edge rusher in a Saints uniform has four seasons under his belt.  Since his arrival, the Wyoming product has steadily developed into a quality reserve defensive end.  When comparing Granderson's seasons in 2021 and 2022, there was an increase in his sack total, rising from 3.0 to 5.5.  His number of tackles increased from 25 to 53, while his TFLs and QB hits rose from 5 to 9 and 8 to 9, respectively.

Granderson's offseason trainer, Aaron Day of DlineVids, shared his thoughts with Saints News Network on Granderson:

"Carl is focused on having a great get-off and improving his rush angle to the QB.  We worked hard on that, along with his counters, which was an area of improvement for him, in my opinion.  He's been watching a lot of game film too this offseason."  Aaron Day - Defensive Line, Pass Rush Coach in Sacramento, CA

Granderson has been working hard in the offseason to become the next man up in the rotation, but he'll have formidable competition.