Kaden Elliss didn't find his new home on Day 1 of free agency. There were calls and interest. There were "no's" thrown around in both directions. But it wasn't until Day 2 that the next phase of his career came into focus.
That was, of course, back with the Saints, where his career began as a 7th-round pick back in 2019. Elliss initially didn't consider a return to New Orleans as a fit for one simple and understandable reason.
"Demario doesn’t age," Elliss said, "so it was like, he’s probably going to be back here anyway."
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That first part may very well be true, speaking of the 37-year-old who is coming off back-to-back seasons with new career highs in tackles. But the second part? Not so much. After teasing a potential departure early in the offseason, Davis agreed to a 2-year contract with the Jets and, much like the 30-year-old Elliss, is headed back to the team that drafted him.
The departure meant the Saints had a hole in the linebacker depth chart, and they turned to a familiar face. Head coach Kellen Moore was quick to point to his three matchups against Elliss the past three seasons, which he spent with the rival Falcons, as a key part of the sales pitch.
"He’s a pain in the butt," Moore told WWL. "It’s not fun to play against him. He’s got this position flexibility to be an off-the-ball linebacker, he can rush the passer on third downs. ... He’s a really smart, heady player, and so you love the film and then the character and the leadership and all the things that he brings to the table."
That positional flexibility was something Elliss displayed prominently in his final year with the Saints and as he got his first extended run as a starting linebacker. After appearing in 31 games with just one start over his first three seasons in New Orleans, Elliss filled in for an injured Pete Werner in 2022 and started 11 games, rolling up 78 tackles and also 7 sacks, which ranked second on the team. Elliss will be the first to say he's a "pass-rusher at heart," and it goes back to his roots. Elliss, father, Luther, was a two-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher with the Lions.
That year's performance is what spurred a strong market in the following offseason and resulted in a lucrative, 3-year deal with the Falcons. He delivered on that contract by serving as the middle linebacker and appearing in all 51 possible games, logging 380 tackles (226 solo), 12.5 sacks, 29 TFLs, 12 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. Over the past two years, the Saints haven't seen much QB pressure from the linebacker position, with Davis and Werner combining for 4.5 sacks total, compared to Elliss' 8.5 in the same stretch.
"I didn’t waiver in my belief that I could do it, but obviously you’ve got to convince the people that make decisions to put you on the field and earn their trust," Elliss told WWL. "Really, that’s what it comes down to. ... I was able to get on the field a little bit and go make some plays and obviously very thankful, because without that, you don’t know what your career looks like, so sometimes all you need is a shot and when you get that shot, you’ve got to take it.”
Replacing Davis now becomes a production question for Elliss, Werner and a group that currently includes younger options like recent draft picks Danny Stutsman, Jaylan Ford and UDFA Isaiah Stalbird, but also leadership. The Saints have signaled a clear shift away from some of the veteran leaders that have defined this group. Davis has departed and Cam Jordan remains a free agent, though a return for Year 16 remains an option. The Saints have also signed Travis Etienne, signaling an uncertain outlook for Alvin Kamara, and there has been no indication that Taysom Hill will be returning.
Elliss said he's confident in his leadership abilities, but he can't look at it as "replacing" Demario Davis, because that task would be impossible to do.
"One person won’t be able to do that. There’s no shot. His voice is well beyond his years and same with his wisdom, so it’s probably going to take a group effort," Elliss told WWL, "but, you know, that’s one of the things that is attractive of this organization, knowing how well run it is, they’re going to have people in that locker room and if I can be one them that can come in, step up, help lead, because Demario could probably become president if he really wanted to, so to try to fill that void is going to be pretty enormous.”
Elliss was already in rare company as a member of the shortlist of players that has appeared in 40-plus games on both sides of the Saints-Falcons rivalry. It's a group that includes Bobby Hebert, Morten Andersen, Michael Haynes, Craig 'Ironhead' Heyward, Ashley Ambrose, Ray Brown, Tyeler Davison, Jumpy Geathers, Curtis Lofton, Brady Smith, Mike Tilleman and most recently David Onyemata. But Elliss has the rare caveat of making the NFC South roundtrip back to where it all began.
It's a unique experience that Elliss is ready to embrace, particularly when it comes to the Caesars Superdome crowd being back on his side again.
“It was really weird [coming back to the Superdome] my first time," Elliss said. "I came in and I was like, oh, this locker room ain’t as nice. The fans are still as loud, but now they’re cheering against you. Yea, it was weird, but I think by the third time I had it down and now I’m glad I won’t have to have it down again.”
