The New Orleans Saints received some tough news this past week. Veteran pass rusher Tanoh Kpassagnon suffered a torn Achilles during this offseason. He will miss some significant time. Normally, the recovery timetable is anywhere between six and eight months for that injury.
Now, New Orleans needs other edge rushers to emerge. Luckily, they signed a former top five draft pick to rush the passer during free agency.
The Saints need Chase Young to perform in 2024
The Saints struggled to get to the passer in 2023. Not to mention, Kpassagnon was third in QB pressures last year. They must replace that production and try to improve upon it as a whole for the team.
He suffered the injury in the spring, not during OTAs than began last week for the Saints. Now, New Orleans must adjust their defensive line plans. Kpassagnon has been a solid depth veteran over the pasty couple of years with the Saints. He's also known for being a great teammate.
The secondary remains a strength on paper, and their linebacker room improved with the addition of Willie Gay Jr.. That being said, making QB make mistakes due to pressure cannot be a factor that goes ignored for the Saints.
If they can find more consistency from a group of Young, Carl Granderson, Cameron Jordan, and Payton Turner/Isaiah Foskey, it will be huge for their defensive success this season. They could look to add another veteran in free agency, but they probably won't rush into that quite yet.
Young has not lived up to the hype of a top five pick, but he's flashed his impressive athleticism and pass rush moves.
Young spent last season with the Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers. He's totaled 16.5 sacks in his pro career.
Training camp is just around the corner. Young needs to emerge as a key part of their defensive line by the time the regular season gets here.
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