It’s safe to say the New Orleans Saints defensive line has some work to do. After ESPN’s positional rankings shut out their defensive tackles (despite Bryan Bresee’s 7.5 sacks ranking third-most in the group), none of New Orleans’ defensive ends or edge rushers were ranked top-10, either. The 70-odd panel of voters surveyed by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler didn’t put a single member of the black and gold on their ballots.
But one former Saints player did make the cut. Trey Hendrickson is embroiled in a contract dispute with the Cincinnati Bengals, but ESPN’s sources put him sixth-best among his peers. His highest ranking was in third place, while some voters didn’t put him among the 10 best players at his position. The Saints, of course, wrote him off as a one-year wonder back in 2021 and let him walk away in free agency. He’s made the Pro Bowl every year since.
“His ability to get to the quarterback by any means necessary is truly impressive,” one AFC scout told Fowler. “He can beat you with technique and relentless motor.”
An anonymous NFL personnel evaluator agreed, quoted as saying: “He’s probably taken for granted a little bit. … Elite player all the way.”
Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks again last season, which is more than all of the Saints’ defensive ends combined: Carl Granderson and Chase Young (5.5 each), along with Cameron Jordan (4) and Payton Turner (2) totaled 17 of them. So it isn’t surprising to see him ranked high while none of them made the cut. Per Over The Cap’s records, three of those guys are ranked among the top 50 edge rushers in average annual salary, while Turner left on a prove-it deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis has spent a lot of resources trying to make up for this botch job; he’s swung and missed on high draft picks like Marcus Davenport, Turner, and Isaiah Foskey while spending big money on Granderson and Young, and stretching out Jordan’s career past his better days. Looking into a reunion with Hendrickson to close out his career in black and gold wouldn’t be the worst thing, and the Saints do have the salary cap space to get it done (about $23.2 million right now). You just have to ask if it’s worth doing without a viable quarterback under center. At the same time, the best way to support an inexperienced quarterback running a new offense is with an effective defense putting him in good field position. If the Saints can make the money work, cutting a deal to bring Hendrickson back home could make a huge difference for them.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: ESPN ranks ex-Saints star Trey Hendrickson among top-10 pass rushers