Take a deep dive into the New Orleans Saints roster ahead of training camp with a player-by-player breakdown at each position. The public portion of the 2021 Training Camp presented by SeatGeek kicks off on Friday, July 30 at 9:30 a.m., the first of seven practices scheduled to be open to the public.
2021 New Orleans Saints roster: Defensive line
New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport played in only 11 games in the 2020 season due to multiple injuries including a concussion, toe injury and elbow problems. Davenport posted 21 tackles (12 solo), and 2.0 passes defended. The defensive end racked up eight quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks, with one sack that came late in the Week 5 matchup helping the Saints prevail against the Carolina Panthers.
Defensive end Carl Granderson progressed from his promising 2019 season. Granderson made an immediate impact during the regular season opener against the Buccaneers in 2020, recording a key sack, forcing a fumble, and adding two pressures in just 23 snaps. Despite a deep edge rotation of Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and a breakout season from Trey Hendrickson, Granderson earned snaps as a situational pass rusher. With the loss of Hendrickson to Cincinnati, even bigger things are expected from Granderson in 2021.
Defensive end Cameron Jordan started in all 16 regular season games in 2020, recording 52 tackles, 16 quarterback hits and 7.5 sacks. The 6-foot-4, 287-pounder led another great defense to be ranked third in total defense and fourth in rushing defense. Jordan was selected to his sixth Pro Bowl and was named NFC Player of the Month in November. Jordan ranks second in team history with 94.5 sacks behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson (115.0 sacks).
Tanoh Kpassagnon (pronounced Tawn-oh pass-N-yo), is a four-year veteran who was originally selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round (59th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Villanova. Kpassagnon spent the last four seasons developing into an important pass rushing presence along the Chiefs defensive front. The Kalamazoo, Mich., native started 15-of-16 games for Kansas City in 2020, recording 28 tackles (20 solo), one sack and three passes defensed while starting all three postseason contests with five tackles (one solo), one sack and one pass defense in the Chiefs' run to Super Bowl LV.
Defensive end Christian Ringo is a seven-year veteran looking to make an impact during training camp. Ringo was a member of the Saints practice squad in 2020. He was selected in the sixth round (210th overall) by the Green Bay Packers in the 2015 NFL Draft.
After contributing as an undrafted rookie in 2020, Malcolm Roach looks to continue his development to maintain the quality defensive line depth for New Orleans.
The Saints have reunited with pass-rush specialist Noah Spence, who missed the 2020 season with an ACL tear suffered during offseason training. Before that, he first signed with the Saints late in 2019 after injuries decimated the defensive line, though he has yet to appear in a game for New Orleans.
With the 28th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Saints added Payton Turner to the team's defensive line. During his four collegiate seasons, Turner notched career totals of 115 tackles (68 solo), 10 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, 10 passes defensed and one blocked punt.
Josiah Bronson is a Kent, Wash., native who started his college career at Temple but transferred to Washington in 2017 and was a three-year letterman with the Huskies from 2018-2020.
Defensive lineman Jalen Dalton looks to bounce back from a serious triceps injury that forced him to miss the 2020 season.
Albert Huggins, 6 feet 2, 305 pounds, originally signed with the Texans as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Clemson in 2019, Huggins spent time on the active rosters for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots as a rookie in 2019. He appeared in four games for the Eagles in 2019, notching three total tackles and one quarterback hit and appeared in one game for the Detroit Lions in 2020.
Defensive tackle David Onyemata started in 15 regular season games in 2020, recording a career-high 44 tackles (20 solo) and 6.5 sacks, which ranked third on the team and first among defensive tackles. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder defended two passes while adding 16 quarterback hits. In Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Onyemata recorded his first career interception, picking off Tom Brady with 11:05 to play in the second quarter and setting up a five-play, 27-yard touchdown drive.
Defensive tackle Shy Tuttle started three of the final four games of the regular season in 2020, logging the highest percentage of playing time in his young career. The 25-year-old finished with two tackles for loss among his 28 total stops. He did not record a sack, but registered three quarterback pressures and one knockdown.
