The Saints lost a big piece of their team in David Onyemata due to a six game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance he announced Friday. After releasing and trading away players this offseason like Malcom Brown, the defensive tackle position is thin in terms of depth. Currently on the roster the next men up for defensive tackle are Malcolm Roach, Josiah Bronson, Shy Tuttle, Jalen Dalton, Ryan Glasgow, Albert Huggins, and Lorenzo Neal. Based simply off the roster now, the starting defensive tackles would be Malcom Roach and Shy Tuttle with one of the young guys backing them up.
Not having David Onyemata is a critical loss to the team and played a huge role in the successful run defense. With Sheldon Rankins gone along with Malcom Brown the Saints have to find a way to fill the void of defensive tackle on their team. The Saints defensive success in recent years has been due to the elite run defense, and with Onyemata out for 6 weeks the success of the defense is at risk, so the Saints need one of the young guys to step up or sign a defensive tackle. It is possible that Davenport or Turner take reps at defensive tackle but not change position.
Some notable free agent defensive tackles currently include Geno Atkins (33), Kawaan Short (32), Sylvester Williams (32), and Corey Peters (33). Best case scenario would be to sign Geno Atkins or Kawaan Short, Atkins father Gene Atkins played for New Orleans. With training camp approaching it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Saints make some moves or signings whether it be a big name or small name.
Written By Kadin Janisch
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