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Saints’ worst 10 defensive players in 2023, per PFF

The New Orleans Saints defense was the strength of the team for much of their 2023 season, but the unit still had some vulnerabilities that were exposed against quality opponents. With much of the roster and coaching staff returning for 2024, it’s going to be important for New Orleans to shore up those deficiencies and take pressure off of Derek Carr’s offense.

But where to start? Here’s a quick look at the 10 lowest-graded Saints players on defense (minimum 100 snaps) from Pro Football Focus. It speaks to the quality of the unit that even some of their lower-rated players are grading out as above-average next to standards around the league:

CB Marshon Lattimore

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

PFF grade: 67.4

S Jordan Howden

Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Justin Casterline/Getty Images

PFF grade: 67.0

S Lonnie Johnson Jr.

Justin Casterline/Getty Images
Justin Casterline/Getty Images

PFF grade: 62.7

DT Khalen Saunders

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

PFF grade: 61.6

S Marcus Maye

Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports
Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports

PFF grade: 57.6

LB Pete Werner

Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Chris Graythen/Getty Images

PFF grade: 57.5

S Johnathan Abram

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

PFF grade: 57.1

DT Nathan Shepherd

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

PFF grade: 47.5

CB Alontae Taylor

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

PFF grade: 45.7

DT Bryan Bresee

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

PFF grade: 45.5

Story originally appeared on Saints Wire