New Orleans Saints: Can Kenny Vaccaro become a top safety?

Even though any analyst will be quick to tell you how deplorable the New Orleans Saints defense was last season, there were a few players who quietly shined in Cameron Jordan, Stephone Anthony, Delvin Breaux, and Kenny Vaccaro.

The New Orleans Saints have yet to receive a positive season from big-money free safety Jairus Byrd, who has been both injured and ineffective in each of the past two seasons. Byrd’s presence was supposed to help young safety and former 15th overall pick Kenny Vaccaro blossom as a clear in-the-box safety, and while the former Buffalo Bills ball-hawk has just 5 PDs in two seasons, “Vac” had himself a strong bounce-back season in 2015.

Vaccaro was a favorite among many draftniks coming out of Texas, and NFL.com compared him to Green Bay Packers strong safety Morgan Burnett, who has been one of the NFL’s premier in-the-box safeties over the past two seasons.

That’s the kind of player Vaccaro can become, and his draft measurables more than hinted at this. Not only was he a fun playmaker to watch in college who flew all over the place, but he also had a 38-inch vertical and one of the top 20-yard shuttle times.

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Athleticism, quickness, and hard hits. That’s Vaccaro’s game, and he immediately showed that type of game-changing potential in his rookie year. The Saints strong safety notched 79 tackles and seven passes defended, and there were high hopes surrounding him heading into 2015. Vaccaro was expected to take that next step towards stardom with Byrd in tow, but, instead, Byrd played in just four games and the entire Saints defense collapsed after an encouraging 2013 season.

Vaccaro only had himself to blame for his dreadful 2014 season. He missed a grotesque number of tackles, and while he still made some plays (two interceptions, 75 tackles), Vaccaro’s inconsistency had to worry Saints fans.

Sep 28, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) runs with the ball against New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro (32) and cornerback Corey White (24) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

Three years into his career, Vaccaro is not a household name and, perhaps to some, hasn’t lived up to the billing of a 15th overall pick. However, Vaccaro had the type of rebound that any young player should be extremely proud of, because even though he played in a less-than-ideal situation for a second straight year, he cut down on his mistakes in a big way.

Last season, Vaccaro set a career-high with 104 tackles, and he is back on the right path. The former Texas Longhorn was all over the place, quickly closing ground on passes thrown to the flat, and there were times when Carolina Panthers superstar TE Greg Olsen simply couldn’t make anything happen after the catch due to a hard hit from Vaccaro.

Just as impressive were some of the hits he laid on Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie signal-caller Jameis Winston, and Vaccaro’s role as a blitzer will be worth watching. Rob Ryan was supposed to harness it in a big way, and Vaccaro responded in 2015 with a career-high three sacks to go with that aforementioned tackle count.

Showing off his exceptional quickness and closing speed in the box on a regular basis, Vaccaro popped in the backfield more often than anyone else on the Saints defense. Detroit Lions backs Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick are great athletes, but they were introduced to a new level of explosiveness by Vaccaro, who found his way into their backfield in record time.

Everyone wants to have that standout free safety, which is why the Saints paid so much for Byrd in the first place, but sometimes we forget just how valuable it is to have that imposing strong safety. After all, the Atlanta Falcons spent a first-round pick on former Florida pain-deliverer Keanu Neal, and the Seattle Seahawks are always quick to sing the praises of Kam Chancellor.

Maybe we should be talking about Vaccaro a little more often, because he is an exceptional talent who returned to his rookie form- and then some- in 2015, despite the understanable lack of plaudits. Vaccaro was Pro Football Focus’s sixth-highest graded run defender, and I’ve never had any complaints about his coverage skills at any point in his career, including 2014.

Dec 6, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) carries the ball as New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Stephone Anthony (50), outside linebacker Hau /

Reshad Jones, Corey Graham, Barry Church, and Jonathan Cyprien. Only four safeties in the NFL had more tackles in run defense last season.

Reshad Jones, Barry Church, Dashon Goldson, Graham, Cyprien, and Landon Collins. Only five safeties had more total tackles that came on plays in which the opponent failed to move the chains for a first down.

Church and Jones were the only two safeties to have more tackles on plays that went for five yards or less and were not first downs.

If you are looking for a talented, productive safety on an upward trajectory, circle Vaccaro as a player to watch in 2016. He should be aided by pass rushing upgrades, since Jordan will finally have real help with Nick Fairley and Sheldon Rankins signing on. Anthony is a beast up front, and while Hau’oli Kikaha‘s ACL tear is heart-breaking, it isn’t deal-breaking.

I know it’s easy to hate on a strong safety on a bad defense, but Vaccaro consistently made big plays against the run. Keep him as an underneath safety, and he’ll dominate the run, blitz effectively, and win more battles than he loses in coverage. His missed tackle counts still seem high, but that’s only because he’s such an active player.

Vaccaro undoubtedly has areas of his game that he must work on as a fourth-year pro, but he’s a candidate to make that leap. Honestly, he’s already a great, pure in-the-box safeties; it’s just a matter of turning his game experience into the type of steady play that can allow him to be considered a top safety in the NFL.

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