Some of the optimism around the New Orleans Saints coming into the 2026 season was centered upon the defense maintaining a certain level of competence in Year 2 under coordinator Brandon Staley.

That group outplayed expectations in 2025. A group of players that were largely acquired to fit former defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s 4-3 defensive scheme played surprisingly well in Staley’s 3-4 defense.

The Saints finished Staley’s first season with the NFL’s No. 9 total defense, the No. 4 pass defense, and the No. 3 run defense by Expected Points Added. They brought back most of the starting 11 and have avoided catastrophic injury through the season’s first seven games.

So what happened?

Only five teams are allowing more points per game than the Saints (27.7) through seven weeks, and only four are allowing more yards per game (372.7).

It doesn’t seem to matter whether teams prefer attacking New Orleans through the air or on the ground — the Saints rank 25th or worse in both categories. A team that had done an excellent job limiting explosive plays the year before is suddenly giving them up in bunches.

The defense taking a big step back is a major reason why New Orleans is where it is right now. Even in games like last week’s, when the Saints gave up a season-low 16 points, the defense could not get off the field in the final six minutes of the game and failed to give the offense another crack at a go-ahead score.

Here are the grades through seven weeks.

Defensive line: D

Key stat: 1.5, which is the average yards gained by an opposing runner before contact.

The Saints largely ran it back with the same cast of characters on their defensive interior, figuring it was “adding” two young players in Vernon Broughton, who missed all but one game in his 2025 rookie season, and Christen Miller, their 2026 second-rounder.

The Saints lost Bryan Bresee to a season ending injury in the first week of training camp, and it hasn’t gotten much better since. Veterans Davon Godchaux and Nathan Shepherd have not produced, combining for one tackle for loss. Broughton has had some nice moments, but has also been invisible for large chunks of time. Miller has contributed next to nothing as he’s navigated injury throughout his time with the Saints.

The end result has been a team that has consistently been bullied at the line of scrimmage. That is not all on the defensive line, but it is supposed to serve as the vanguard of the team’s run defense, and it has simply not been good enough to start the season.

Edge rushers: B

Key stat: 12.5, which is the number of sacks Chase Young and Carl Granderson have combined for.

The only thing the Saints have been able to consistently hang their hat on is the pass rush generated by Chase Young and Carl Granderson.

Young is proving last season’s breakout was no fluke. He ranks second in the NFL with seven sacks, and according to NextGenStats, sixth in total pressures (32). He has at least half a sack in five of the Saints’ seven games, a number that should really be six had it not been for a highly questionable Week 1 ruling that took away a strip sack.

Granderson has been almost as good, with 5.5 sacks, which is tied for fifth in the NFL. He’s done this while also being one of the Saints’ better run defenders this year.

There has definitely been a drop off after those two, however. Cameron Jordan has not rediscovered the form that pushed him to double-digit sacks last year, generating eight pressures and zero sacks on 108 pass-rush snaps. Anfernee Jennings and Tyree Wilson have combined for one sack and six pressures between them in 72 pass rush snaps.

Linebackers: C+

Key stat: 85.7 %, which is opposing quarterbacks’ completion percentage when Saints linebackers Pete Werner, Kaden Elliss and Danny Stutsman are the nearest players in coverage. It should be noted here that this is based on GPS tracking rather than coverage assignments, but the number is still jarring.

This is a tricky unit to evaluate. Werner is playing arguably the best football of his career now that he’s taken over the MIKE linebacker position formerly occupied by Demario Davis. Elliss has been a strong fit for Staley’s defense and has made an impact as both a pass rusher and run defender when he’s been on the field (Elliss missed three games with a calf injury, and the Saints clearly felt his loss).

But the linebackers have also contributed to the team’s poor performance against the run — go back and watch Bijan Robinson’s long touchdown to start the Saints’ Monday Night Football loss to Atlanta — and have been a non-factor in pass coverage.

Stutsman did not look ready to play meaningful snaps when he took over during Elliss’ injury, racking up more plays where he was out of position than impact plays.

This feels like a unit that will get better once Elliss has more time on the field.

Corners: C

Key stat: 0, which is the number of interceptions by the three starting corners to start the season.

The Saints went into the season with one of the youngest starting cornerback groups in the NFL. On the outside, the Saints had 2024 second-rounder Kool-Aid McKinstry and 2025 fourth-rounder Quincy Riley, and in the slot they had 2025 third-rounder Jonas Sanker.

That group has had an up-and-down start to the season. Sanker has been much more of a factor in the run game than he has been in the pass game. McKinstry has been mostly solid and ranks among the league leaders in the amount of separation he’s allowing, but he’s also given up his fair share of big plays. Riley has been benched in favor of Martin Emerson after Emerson’s two-interception day in New York.

The Saints are playing more Cover 3 than just about anybody in the NFL, and teams have been picking apart their soft zone coverage underneath. The idea is that they won’t get hit over the top — except New Orleans has allowed 24 passes of 20 or more yards this season, tied for fourth most in the NFL.

Safeties: D+

Key stat: 2, which is the number of passes Saints safeties have gotten their hands on this season

Julian Blackmon is tied for the team lead with two interceptions — both of which directly contributed to the Saints’ only wins through seven games.

That’s about where the conversation ends for memorable positive plays made by Saints safeties this season.

Neither Blackmon nor his counterpart Justin Reid have been credited with a pass breakup outside of those two interceptions this season. There are 30 NFL safeties who have at least three by themselves this season through seven weeks.

According to Pro Football Reference, Blackmon and Reid have yielded five passing touchdowns between them in coverage this season, and the pair have also combined to miss 11 tackles.