By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints shockingly (to say the least) traded the versatile and ultra-competitive safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and a seventh-round pick in 2023 to the Philadelphia Eagles for their 2023 fifth-round pick and the worse of their sixth-round pick in 2024. CGJ was undoubtedly a menace for Who Dat Nation last season by registering 3 interceptions, 7 pass deflections, 2 sacks, and 4 tackles for loss in 2021. I’m quite confident that his most impressive moment in a Black and Gold uniform was his interception against Tom Brady in Week 15 last season. With that said, I’m going to simply unveil the grades for each team after the trade.

Saints grade: C-

I wish Ricky Gervais could roast Mickey Loomis and the Saints for at least 10 minutes after that decision. The Saints are competing for the Super Bowl in 2022 and they shipped away one of their top DBs – who was having a potent off-season. I understand that they brought in Tyrann Mathieu and even Marcus Maye, who was the NY Jets most valuable player in 2020. However, CGJ could excel from many spots and he could potentially be a star long-term at the safety spot – as he is five years younger than Maye. If the Saints wanted to move on from him, I would rather have seen them do so at or near the trade deadline.

Eagles grade: B+

I’m sure that Eagles fans want Howie Roseman on the cover of Time Magazine in 2023 after the Eagles off-season. Philly acquired the gifted wideout A.J. Brown, made a bold and witty trade in the draft for Jordan Davis, made a sneaky late-signing in James Bradberry, and then found a way to reel in CGJ. I love the direction of the Eagles defense with Fletcher Cox, Davis, a healthy Brandon Graham, the new edge rusher Haason Reddick, the top-tier CB Darius Slay, and of course: CGJ. The Eagles aren’t planning to just win the NFC East in 2022 – as they clearly have their sights set on winning Super Bowl 57.

Let’s not forget that the Saints and Eagles will square off on January 1st of 2023, too.

The post Grading the Chauncey Garder-Johnson trade appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints allowed the third-fewest passing touchdowns (20 passing touchdowns allowed) & the fourth-worst passer rating allowed (81.7) last season. Despite Malcolm Jenkins retiring and Marcus Williams fleeing to Baltimore, the Saints general manager Mickey Loomis managed to level up the Saints secondary this off-season via the signings of Marcus Maye (who was voted the New York Jets most valuable player in 2020) and Tyrann Mathieu (first-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2020). With that said, there is serious reason to believe the Saints pass defense ascends into the NFL’s top unit in 2022.

The Saints pass defense doesn’t only have new faces that enjoy breaking the hearts of opposing signal-callers, but they should also witness growth from members of their 2021 pass defense. For instance, Paulson Adebo (third-round pick in the 2021 draft) has arguably taken the biggest leap of any player this off-season. He proved in the Saints latest pre-season battle that his hard work has paid off. Adebo made a beautiful tackle for loss on the second defensive play of the game (as shown below).

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson might make headlines for his personality, but his football ability is also beginning to look sexy. After CGJ ousted a personal best three interceptions in 12 games last season, the former Florida DB is looking even better this summer. Early in training camp, he impressively made a pick-six on Jameis Winston. CGJ is also entering a contract season, so expect him to leave everything out on the field in 2022.

The Saints have continuity, talent, and (somehow) an underdog mentality. I love the Baltimore Ravens secondary and the Saints secondary at this mid-stage in August more than every other pass defense in the league. I wholeheartedly believe the Saints should be a Top-3 pass defense in the league next season and that they should absolutely aim to have the scariest secondary in the NFL.

The post Could the Saints have the NFL’s best secondary? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.