New Orleans Saints: 3 Players demanding attention vs. Jaguars in preseason

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 03: Quarterback Jameis Winston #2 of the New Orleans Saints shares a smile as he greets teammate quarterback Taysom Hill #7 during the second half of their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on January 03, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 04: Malcolm Roach #97 of the New Orleans Saints runs for a fumbled ball during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 4, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /

2. DT Malcolm Roach

The offseason was not kind to the defending NFC South champions, especially when it came to the defensive front. Emerging pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson led the club with a career-best 13.5 sacks but wound up signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensive tackle Malcom Brown, who spent the past two seasons with the franchise after signing him away from New England in 2019, was dealt to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.

Of course, interior presence Sheldon Rankins is now a member of the New York Jets after five seasons in the Crescent City. So these days, the Saints’ starting defensive front appears solid at the ends with six-time Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan and three-year veteran Marcus Davenport.

In the middle, there’s David Onyemata, a fourth-round pick in 2016, and Malcolm Roach. The latter was an undrafted free agent and a year ago appeared in nine games for Dennis Allen’s defense. He finished with 16 tackles and could be asked to do a lot more this fall.

Via PFF (subscription required), he didn’t grade out high in terms of the pass rush and earned slightly higher marks as a run defender. This is a team that allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the league a year ago but slumped in this area late in the season.

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