6 years agoAfter a bad start in Week 1 against the Buccaneers, the Saints defense started coming on strong down the stretch of the season in 2018. Finishing the season at 13-3, the defense was a major part of this as they held opponents to 22.1 points per game on the season. While this was only 14th in the league, when you are scoring 35 points per game, this makes the defense good enough. With the return of Marcus Davenport and another season of elite cornerback Marshon Lattimore the defense again should take a step forward in 2019. Some players just need a fresh start and after being traded from the Giants to the Saints Eli Apple seems to have gotten such a refresh. While still not up to his first-round draft pedigree, he took major steps forward in his time in New Orleans. If he continues to make progress, he could be a key contributor as the Saints try to get to the Super Bowl again in the waning of the Drew Brees era. With 2018 first team all-pro Cameron Jordan signing a contract extension, the defensive line will again be disruptive to opposing quarterbacks. After having 12 sacks last season and now with a better defense surrounding him on the field, Jordan could meet or exceed this number yet again. With this said the key for the Saints defense is to not allow sustained drives. This will allow their offense to flourish and win games. With this in mind, the defense is a mid-level fantasy buy. Yes, they are good but with the offense scoring at the level they do, the defense is also going to give up points. If the secondary can be great the defense will be good as teams will be competing to stay with the New Orleans offense, which means a lot of passing. As it stands? They will more likely be in the range of a top-10 to 15 defenses. Good enough to draft as your defense, but not a priority draft pick by any means.--Dominick Petrillo - RotoBaller