Why Saints’ secondary feels something special building early in 2023 offseason

Bradley Roby dropped two different Denver sports comps after a recent OTA practice that were eye-opening examples of the growing vibe in the Saints’ secondary.

One, of course, was a reference to the loaded 2015 Broncos secondary that Roby was a part of early in his career when they won the Super Bowl with the likes of Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and T.J. Ward.

Roby said the Saints’ current group, led by safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye and cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore, Roby, Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo is “one of the best I’ve been around.”

“To be honest, it’s up there with Denver – on paper. Now, you’ve gotta go show it, but it’s up there with Denver. And they put us in the history books,” said Roby – who took the comparison one step further by saying this current Saints group has a familiar mindset early in the offseason.

Almost every member of the Saints’ secondary has been participating in at least some of the voluntary OTA workouts, including veterans like Mathieu, Maye and Roby. And while cornerback Marshon Lattimore hasn’t been participating yet, Taylor talked about how he has been in frequent communication as a “big brother,” offering pointers and sharing examples of what he’s working on this offseason.

Alontae Taylor on how Marshon Lattimore has taken him under his wing📺: https://t.co/vHUmaZlI8a pic.twitter.com/KCEetSugxD— NOF (@nofnetwork) May 29, 2023

That’s all notable considering how long it took for the Saints secondary to build chemistry last season with newcomers Mathieu and Maye missing time in the offseason, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson being traded away in training camp, and a constant lineup shuffle throughout the season because of a relentless series of injuries.

“Even though it’s voluntary, just to be here and talk about our goals this year (is big). Because when we won the Super Bowl in Denver, I remember in OTAs we were talking about it already,” Roby said. “That’s my only experience, so I can only pull from that.”

And to that end, Maye dropped a more unexpected Denver sports reference.

He said he has been inspired by watching Nikola Jokic’s approach as the Nuggets make their run toward the NBA Finals.

“After that last series, he looked at his daughter and they had a sign, like an inside joke about him winning a ring. That’s how much he’s like, ‘No, This THE year!’” Roby said. “That showed me a lot. They’re just that focused. And I feel like we can get that.

“I feel like we got that toward the end of the season. And I feel like us starting with everybody healthy, I really feel it.”

This Jokic family moment after Game 2 ❤️🃏: 39 PTS, 16 REB, 5 AST#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/UFXjPGWpxJ— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2023

Somehow the Saints still wound up ranking No. 2 in the NFL last year in passing yards allowed (No. 5 in total yards allowed and No. 9 in points allowed).

But Mathieu has been the first to admit on multiple occasions now that those numbers masked some of their early-season woes.

“Last year, I’d probably say the numbers suggested that we did OK. But when we talk amongst each other, it’s like, ‘Yo bro, that wasn’t what it felt like,’” Mathieu said. “So I definitely feel like we believe we can impact the ball more, we can get off to a much faster start, we can collectively just really be who we know we are.”

ICYMI: Tyrann Mathieu joins the NOF podcastFull Interview: https://t.co/uzBW5v9hiF pic.twitter.com/jZfpabMF6s— NOF (@nofnetwork) May 4, 2023

As ESPN’s Matt Bowen pointed out, the Saints tied for first with the 49ers when it came to giving up the fewest “explosive plays” in 2022 – which was a big key to New Orleans’ overall success.

On the flip side, however, the Saints defense didn’t make nearly enough big plays, ranking 30th in the NFL with just seven interceptions all season.

Lattimore’s lacerated kidney was arguably the biggest blow to New Orleans’ entire season, keeping him sidelined from Weeks 6-16. Adebo missed the first two games and three of the first seven. Maye missed three of the first five games. Taylor missed four of the first six. And Roby missed Weeks 8-11.

But the chemistry slowly developed to the point where New Orleans was playing its best defense by the end of the year – holding the final eight opponents to 20 points or less and the final three opponents to exactly 10 points each.

Mathieu and Maye’s familiarity with one another on the back end is one of the most notable changes from 12 months ago, when both were newcomers and Maye was still rehabbing from a torn Achilles.

“I think pre-snap communication, post-snap communication, just that trust that we both have for each other now is definitely something we can continue to build on,” Mathieu said. “I definitely see it going in a good direction.”

Roby also said everyone is embracing their specific roles – including his permanent move back to the nickel position that he played early in his career with the Broncos.

“Last year was a lot of us learning each other’s personalities and who’s gonna play where and all that. And now we’ve got a good system down and we all kind of know the roles that we need to excel at,” said Roby, who said he likes the idea of being closer to the action with more opportunities to get his hands on the ball in the slot.

The biggest change to the Saints’ secondary this offseason is actually within the coaching staff. The Saints lost one of their co-defensive coordinators when Ryan Nielsen was hired away by the rival Falcons, and they lost another by choice when Dennis Allen decided to part ways with Kris Richard – who primarily worked with the secondary.

Allen replaced with with two of his former assistants, new defensive coordinator Joe Woods (who primarily works with the defensive backs) and secondary coach Marcus Robertson. So far, players say the transition has been smooth since Allen remains the de facto defensive coordinator. And Roby previously played under Woods in Denver.

The battle between Taylor and Adebo for the No. 2 outside cornerback spot will be among the most fascinating in training camp. But no matter who wins, it’s a classic “good problem to have” since both are rising young players with enticing potential.

Taylor arguably flashed a higher ceiling as a rookie second-round pick last year because of his big-play and big-hitting ability, while showing the confidence to hold up when he was repeatedly tested deep by opposing quarterbacks.

And Taylor’s decision to switch to jersey No. 1 this year is a very fitting signal of the confidence he carries.

“I told him, ‘You know, you look a little taller. You look a little better,” Mathieu said of the new number. “It just adds a little bit more spice to it.”

Taylor has already been cross-training during OTAs in the slot – something that’s new to him. Taylor made no bones about the fact that he would prefer to win the starting outside job and keep the nickel job as a backup plan.

But Woods stressed that he wants all of his defensive backs to be able to play both inside and outside, “And you kind of see who’s really capable of doing it and then you sort it out from there.”

Just having so many options compared to last year’s mixing and matching is a great start.

“I definitely feel the talent is there,” Woods said. “I was at Denver in ‘15. But we didn’t know going into it that, ‘Oh my God we’re gonna go win the Super Bowl.’

“But you felt good about the talent you had, you felt good about the camaraderie, the closeness of the players. And I feel that here.”