When Dennis Allen was asked about the defensive end competition earlier in training camp, he name-checked four different players.
Not included in that group? Carl Granderson, and that's not a bad thing. As Deuce McAllister explained after Day 3 of Saints training camp, it's because he's the one sure thing they have in that group.
“He’s consistent, that’s why," McAllister said. I mean, he shows up. He’s ready to go to work. He can play left end, right defensive end and for him, he knows he’s probably gonna be the guy that gets the double team."
It's all the more impressive when you consider the draft investment that goes with the other four players. Cam Jordan is a former first-round pick who has to bounce back and prove he still has the juice at 35 years old. Chase Young is a former first-round pick that has to earn a role. Isaiah Foskey is a former 2nd round pick and a young player that has to step forward, and Payton Turner is a former first-rounder who simply has to prove he can stay on the field.
But it's Granderson, the former UDFA out of Wyoming, who has blossomed into the most effective pass-rusher for this team, leading the team with a career high 8.5 sacks in 2023 while also inking a 4-year, $52 million contract extension last season. Granderson drew eyeballs on Day 3 of camp with what would've likely been a pair of sacks in live action.
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"He wants to play the run, he wants to get 10-plus sacks a year and just be consistent. ... You’ve got Cam’s leadership, which is always gonna help, so that takes a lot of the pressure off," McAllister continued, "but just go out there and do your job and he’s been very, very good at doing it. You don’t have to mention him because the tape speaks.”
We're still waiting to see Young get into full team reps, but Turner is on the right track again -- not unlike last season when he was one of just a handful of players not to miss a training camp practice, only to suffer and injury in Week 1 that kept him out until Week 18. The production has been there, the availability has not. So far, so good in 2024.
“Knock on some word there, I mean, the talent is there. That’s not a question," McAllister said. "The question for him is can he stay healthy, and so you saw him today flash, probably had about three tackles for losses, caused a fumble by Spencer ... but Payton, figure out how to stay healthy, because he could be in that rotation as far as defensive line and be able to make plays. That’s what it’s about.”