Can he play safety?

These words were a staple in Saints fans conversations for nearly a decade. Old timers remember this phrase almost as a joke. There were many years prior to, he who shall not be named, where the Saints were DESPERATE for anyone who could lineup at the safety position.

Fortunately, in recent years this has in fact NOT been a problem. With the likes of Marcus Williams, Malcolm Jenkins, CJ Gardner Johnson, and other fill ins periodically, the Saints have had a war chest on the backend of the defense. However, for the first time in a long time, the entire back end looks very different.

With the recent trade of CJ, the Marcus Williams departure and the Marcus Maye news, many Saints fans may have that eerie feeling creeping back in. While the expectation is to still have Maye for most of the season, if the accusations are true, the Saints could find themselves once again looking for a playmaker on the back end.

While Mathieu can undoubtedly hold down his position, it begs the question, where do you go if Maye misses more than his initial expected 2 games? The current roster shows the following players: JT Gray, PJ Williams, Daniel Sorensen, and Justin Evans, with Smoke Monday on IR. So, who would get the edge?

JT Gray – Currently listed as the backup at the SS slot on the team’s depth chart. Admittedly, Gray has never lept off the page or tape when looking at his play. Many of his snaps have come on special teams, and my first thought is not to have him handle any heavy load as a starter on the defense.

Kenneth Lamar, “PJ”, Williams – PJ is one of the players here I look at when determining who may handle a large portion of the snaps should Maye miss time. PJ has played a bit of safety as a fill in and done rather well in the position. Coming off perhaps the best season of his career, PJ played 16 games, had 3 INTs and forced one fumble last season. This is certainly the playmaking ability you would like to see at the safety position.

Daniel Sorensen – Sorensen is a new face on this Saints roster. This may be a hot take, but I believe Sorenson is a very solid player. Most of his time with the Chiefs was spent as a special teamer, though he did fill in at the starting safety spot for the majority of the 2020 season for the Chiefs, bouncing back and forth between SS and FS. The major thing that jumps out about Sorensen to me, he is ALWAYS around the ball. On top of this, he also brings to the table the ability to get his hands on the ball and force turnovers. In his last 3 seasons, in spot starter duty, he has forced 9 turnovers. I’ll take a safety that can force 3 turnovers a year, while playing technically sound.

Justin Evans – Who really knows here? He looked phenomenal in the preseason and has drawn a lot of praise from Tyrann Mathieu. However, he has been in the league for a few seasons mainly as a special teamer without much to show for it. You truly never know what it will take to have a player turn the corner, sometimes its simply opportunity. I wouldn’t count on Evans seeing much time outside of special teams this season.

You’d have to imagine your first choice here is PJ Williams for spot duty, but Sorensen could be a major dark horse. I’m not quite ready to sound the alarm yet, as I am extremely comfortable with the two previously mentioned.

Regardless, if the last week has shown us anything, its that Saints football is back, drama and all! WHO DAT BABY!?

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