By: Jake Rajala

The versatile, maniac Tyrann Mathieu is unequivocally one of the NFL’s best safeties. The Honey Badger has been named All-Pro three times (2015, 2019, and 2020) and he’s earned three Pro Bowl nods (2015, 2020, and 2021) in his tenure. Furthermore, he won Super Bowl LIV with Patrick Mahomes and the KC Chiefs. Here is a sharp look at the career statistics of the former LSU unearthly defender:

• 610 combined tackles
• 26 interceptions (including three pick-sixes)
• 76 pass deflections
• 25 QB hits
• 10 sacks
• four forced fumbles

With that stated, there is already a fascinating question that many football fans have regarding the Saints well-rounded safety: Is Mathieu a future Hall of Famer?

If Mathieu retired today, I sincerely believe he would find himself in Canton. He doesn’t only have a few All-Pro nods, but he also has a Super Bowl ring and a fantastic reputation for being talented and tenacious. Hence, his name is “the Honey Badger”.

Although, I ultimately expect him to have a few more Pro Bowl-caliber seasons and honestly have a real chance at winning another Super Bowl trophy. Mathieu is in the golden situation with the defensive-minded Dennis Allen, an unusually talented pass rush with Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport, & he’s surrounded by top-tier defensive backs (such as Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Maye, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and the ascending Paulson Adebo).

The former Steelers greek-god-like defender and Hall of Fame safety, Troy Polamalu, has garnered four All-Pro nods and two Super Bowl rings in his career. They both play with a lot of aggression and consistent effort. In my opinion, I foresee Mathieu picking up another first-team AP nod (at least) and his second SB ring with his hometown team. In the end, I imagine Mathieu giving an intense and heart-warming speech in Canton, Ohio.

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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.

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By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen is out for blood in his second stint as a head coach. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three reasons why the Sean Payton disciple could even win Coach of the Year in 2022.

Improvement from 2021

The Drew Brees-less Saints didn’t make the playoffs last season, but I really believe the Saints will have a significant turnaround and three to four more victories than the 2021 season. I expect a healthy Jameis Winston and a highly motivated Michael Thomas to wreak havoc against opponents on a frequent basis. Kev Stefanski was COTY in 2020 for leading the Browns to 11 wins in 2020 — after CLE had a mere six victories in 2019. I believe Allen will receive a lot of buzz after jolting the Saints team in 2022.

Buccaneers

I recently wrote about why the Buccaneers could *finally* beat the Saints next season. Although, the Saints still have the upper hand at this point in time. It should be noted that DA caught a lot of attraction for shutting out TB12 in their last match-up. If the Saints can have a successful season, while ousting a dominant victory (or two) against the Bucs, there should be very high praise for the Saints HC.

Defense

Allen’s baby is clearly the defense — as he plans to retain play-calling. I expect the Saints defense to be a Top-3 unit and they could potentially be the utmost best defense next season. Allen will garner heaps of glory for pressing the right buttons with a Saints defense that added the Honey Badger this off-season. Marshon Lattimore, Mathieu, Demario Davis, and Cameron Jordan will delight in dismantling under Allen opponents moving forward.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs can’t take the foot off the pedal without Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu. The Show Must Go On. The Chiefs will need to work with the Honey Badger and Hill replacements while improving other vital positions. With that said, I’m going to untwine three positions to watch in Chiefs OTAs.

LDE

The Chiefs 2022 first-round pick George Karlaftis will be asked to replace Melvin Ingram and excel in his rookie season. Karlaftis was selected as the DPOY by USA Today and the Chiefs may have discovered a diamond in the rough in him. He reminds me a lot of Everson Griffen with his power and impressive motor. He is a darkhorse DROY candidate, as the powerful human will have lots of opportunities to sack opposing QBs.

SS

The loss of the Honey Badger is enormous and it won’t be easy for their Honey-less pass defense to heal. Mathieu was an All-Pro in 2019 and 2020, so it will be a tall task for Justin Reid to be near the same caliber of safety as the former Chiefs force. PFF recently ranked Reid as one of the worst safeties in the league, so the former Texans first-round pick needs to have a strong 2022 off-season to prove his doubters wrong.

WR

The Chiefs WR position has been very entertaining this off-season, to say the least. Tyreek Hill is out of Kansas City and there are a few new faces in the Chiefs WR room. JuJu Smith-Schuster will need to develop strong chemistry with Patrick Mahomes early on, but it will be fascinating to see how the second-round rookie Skyy Moore and MVS become utilized in the Chiefs offense.

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By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints impressively flexed the fourth-best defense in points per game allowed last season. The Saints long-time pass-rusher Cameron Jordan made his seventh Pro Bowl trip and eclipsed 100+ career sacks as a Saint last season. Outside of Matt Ryan’s least favorite human being, the Saints CB Marshon Lattimore (aka the eraser of Mike Evans) notched Pro Bowl honors last season.

The pre-game speech warrior and maniac LB Demario Davis may not have been highlighted in the slight popularity contest in the Pro Bowl selection, but he was awarded second-team All-Pro in 2021. It’s clear that the NO defense rose to the challenge on a Brees-less Saints squad last season, but the new ultimate question is: can the Saints defense ascend with some new horses in 2022?

The Saints lost Marcus Williams in the early wave of free agency, but they were able to bring in the underrated safety Marcus Maye in free agency. Dennis Allen was also able to retain the late bloomer in safety P.J. Williams. The former Florida State DB recorded a career-high three interceptions in 2021 (including a game-sealing pick-six against Tom Brady). Fast forward to April 3rd, the Saints officially made their biggest splash signing on defense: Tyrann Mathieu.

The Honey Badger decided to come and help the Saints strive to win their elusive second Super Bowl trophy. Mathieu might be 29 years old, but he is still an overly impressive football player. He’s cracked the All-Pro team in two of the past three seasons and he made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021. The former Chiefs safety had a career-high 6 interceptions in 2020. All in all, it seems far from likely that Mathieu will have a similar outcome as Jairus Byrd in a Saints uniform.

Mathieu will not only join Lattimore and Maye, but he will play next to a juiced-up Chauncey Gardner Johnson that has frequently expressed his love for the New Orleans icon on Twitter. CGJ produced a career-high season in ints (3) and sacks (2) for Allen last season. Mathieu, CGJ, and Maye are very versatile defenders and Allen (who is expected to retain play-calling duties) will enjoy utilizing their instincts and physical abilities to their highest capacity.

Similar to former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Allen loves to insert his safeties in the box. The past success of hybrid Saints safeties under Allen (former Saints DB coach) in Roman Harper (Pro Bowler in 2009) and Malcolm Jenkins was an underrated reason why the 2009 Saints defense led the league in takeaways and helped the Saints win their first Lombardi trophy. In 2011, Harper recorded 7.5 sacks as a Saint (second-most sacks by a safety in a single season). Each of the Saints ring-leaders in the past decade (Payton, Williams, Rob Ryan, Allen) is infamous for blitzing safeties on first down and even pivotal third-down moments. Expect Mathieu to not only excel in coverage but also as an OLB in countless creative packages.

I believe that Saints safety tandem has progressed from 2021 to 2022 and the shiny Saints safety group will help the Saints be more dangerous moving forward. The old Saints safety that left to Baltimore has five interceptions in the past two seasons combined, while Mathieu has nine interceptions in his two prior seasons in KC. Mathieu will also benefit from playing behind a Saints pass rush (eight in sacks in 2021) and front seven that’s noticeably more impressive than the Chiefs front seven (29th in sacks a season ago). The SEC legend that strangely wasn’t offered a contract to reunite with KC also has two touchdowns in the past two football seasons combined, so it’s clear he’s a big play waiting to happen.

The Saints LB hero and former NY Jet in Davis was one of the Saints best value FA signings of all time in the 2018 offseason. The former Jet safety in Maye might be a bit in the shadow of Mathieu, but he could honestly be a superstar and expected upgrade over fellow ex-safety Malcolm Jenkins for the Saints, too. Maye was voted the Jets MVP in 2020, as he was “one of three players with at least 60 tackles, 2 INTs, and 2 FF” in the regular season. Maye missed 11 games last season via a torn Achilles, but he is healthy and primed to be an immediate difference-maker for Who Dat Nation.

I feel a lot of bliss for the Saints outlook on defense in 2022. I fully expect large contributions from Marcus Davenport, who sadly missed a career-high six contests in 2021, to continue to climb the ladder and likely unleash a career season of sacks in 2022. The Saints will also welcome a healthy Payton Turner (first-round pick in 2021) back to their defensive unit. Plus, I don’t foresee Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis on their “last stand” next season, as the veteran defenders should be forces for at least a few more seasons. At last, it would make sense if Paulson Adebo (rookie CB last season/3 ints in 2021) and Pete Warner (second-round pick in 2021) rose to become effective defenders for their beloved squad in 2022.

I could realistically see a Tyrann Mathieu featured Saints defense improving from their 15th ranked pass defense in 2021 to become a Top 6 pass defense with Mathieu, Bradley Roby, Lattimore, Maye, CGJ, Adebo, Williams, and rookie Alontae Taylor out of Tennessee. The likelihood of the Saints showcasing a Top 3 run defense for another season is on par with the chances of Avatar 2 being a high grossing film, so it’s fairly high. The NFL world could potentially witness a defense in the Big Easy that is more special than any previous Saints defense since the days of “the Dome Patrol”. The Saints could honestly have the top defense in PPG allowed and/or total yards allowed if the defense can have strong chemistry early, stay healthy, and continue to make life hell for Brady in both matchups. The team that has won the NFC South in four out of the past five seasons may not have Payton or Brees in the building, but the hungry (and confusingly underrated) NFL team could really lean on their defense to dominate most of their competition next season.

The post What is the ceiling of the Saints defense with Tyrann Mathieu? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

There is no secret that Who Dat Nation has wanted Tyrann Mathieu and Odell Beckham Jr. to return home since the beginning of the 2022 offseason. I finally expect the Big Easy and Tyrann Mathieu to reunite very soon.

The Saints lost Marcus Williams in free agency and Malcolm Jenkins recently retired. Mickey Loomis singed Marcus Maye and Daniel Sorensen, but I expect NO to be very open to signing a starting quality safety to join Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Maye, and Sorensen.

Here is a look at how productive Mathieu has been for the Chiefs in recent memory:

2021: 3 ints, 76 combined tackles, six pass deflections (Pro Bowl Selection)

2020: 6 ints, 9 pass deflections, 62 tackles (All-Pro)

2019: 4 ints, 75 combined tackles, 12 pass deflections (All-Pro)

With that said, I expect the Saints to be the best landing spot for Mathieu at this point in time. Here is why the Honey Badger and the Saints should finally agree on a blockbuster deal.

• Mathieu and Jenkins possess a very similar skillset

Jenkins wasn’t only a leader for Dennis Allen’s defense, but he was effective in numerous spots for the Saints defense. Gregg Williams and Jim Schwartz loved Jenkins because he could be talented in the box and from the back-end. If the Saints signed the flexible Mathieu, he could truly play a similar role that Jenkins played in 2021. In fact, the Honey Badger would be an upgrade at SS/FS/OLB from Jenkins last season for the Saints.

• Mathieu’s interest in the Saints

CGJ has already pronounced his love for Mathieu via Twitter and then Mathieu replied with emojis that expressed his personal desire to join the Saints. I believe that Mathieu has been patient and open to joining the Saints, but they likely haven’t been desperate to break the bank with Jenkins unretired. Mathieu should finally be able to get the favorable offer he desires from the Jenkins-less Saints and I’d be shocked if there was a team with a combination of talent/culture/money that was more attractive than the Saints.

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The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to make the playoffs for the second straight under Nick Sirianni. In 2022, the Eagles haven’t been overly flirtatious in free agency (outside of Haason Reddick). It wouldn’t be an understatement to say Eagles nation expects Howie Roseman to add more juice to the Eagles complex squad this offseason. Well, I believe the Eagles could still add more chess pieces soon. With that said, here are a few faces that the Eagles could ink.

• Phillip Lindsay

It would be very smooth if the Eagles brought in RB Phillip Lindsay to join Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Miles Sanders, and Dallas Goedert. Lindsay is also coming off a down season, so he could be an excellent value signing. I believe Lindsay can still be a 700+ yard RB at 27 years old and an upgrade over Boston Scott as the RB2.

• Tyrann Mathieu

The honey badger would be an amazing, versatile fit for the Eagles defense. Tyrann Mathieu has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons and he’s made the All-Pro team in two of the past three seasons. He would be quite a partner for Anthony Harris in the Eagles secondary. Mathieu would be the best candidate to receive the golden ticket from Roseman.

• Jerry Hughes

The Eagles wisely brought back pass rusher Derek Barnett, but it’s safe to say that he wasn’t the most reliable player for Philly in 2021. Barnett was often a penalty machine or barely productive. The Eagles should still bring in a cheap, talented pass rusher this offseason. Jerry Hughes has some gas left in the tank and he would be a fine addition to the Eagles DL featuring Cox, Barnett, Brandon Graham, and Reddick.

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The San Francisco 49ers haven’t made any exotic moves outside of the signing of Charvarius Ward in free agency, but they remain confident in handing the keys to Trey Lance with a very similar roster from 2021. At the moment, Kyle Shanahan has been creating new play designs with his offensive toys, re-signing under-the-radar players like Jeff Wilson and Jordan Willis, and looking for the best trade partner with Jimmy Garoppolo.

I still expect the 49ers to make a few quality free agent moves in the wild NFC West. I’d like to see them add a talented edge rusher before the draft. The edge rusher Everson Griffin (5 sacks in 2021) and the DT/DE Calais Campbell would be fascinating fits for SF.

There hasn’t been a lot of new speculation around mutual interest between Stephon Gilmore and the 49ers as of late. Although, it appeared that the 49ers were the most logical landing spot for him at one point. Richard Sherman and many football outlets believed he would head to San Francisco. He could still surprise the NFL world by viewing his current options and then deciding to head to the Bay area on a contract that’s slightly below his market value (assuming the 49ers don’t overpay for him).

There is a darkhorse candidate to ink with the 49ers in my opinion. It would be intriguing and logical if the former Chiefs All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu signed with the 49ers at this odd stage in free agency. He has 13 interceptions in the past few seasons combined. Heavy. outlined out the 49ers should reel in the Honey Badger in January, as well. If the 49ers do make a splash-free agent move before they announce their 2022 first-round pick, it will likely be in the secondary.

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The New York Jets have a lot of ammunition (third-most in cap space, fourth pick in draft) to be a potent team in 2022. Robert Saleh will surely press the pedal to the metal, as his marriage with Zach Wilson is entering year two.

The Jets will look to be a very active squad in the 2022 free agency period. They certainly need to strike big on a few profiles and they have the firepower to do so. Well, who exactly is atop of the Jets free agency wishlist? Well, here are a few names.

• Allen Robinson – WR – Chicago Bears

Allen Robinson would be the focal point of the Jets offense and he would make a ton of money in the process. According to Heavy., the Jets could sign A-Rob on a prove-it deal. Their former BYU QB would needs his own juice in an AFC East division that features Josh Allen, Ma Jones, and Tua Tagovailoa. Robinson ousted 102 catches, 1,250 yards, and six touchdowns with Micthell Trubisky often starting at QB in 2020.

• Tyrann Mathieu – S – Kansas City Chiefs

The Honey Badger would be a very exciting signing for the Jets and he might be fascinated by the big lights in the Big Apple. Mathieu could arguably receive the biggest offer from the Jets and he could be a star in NY under Saleh. The Jets likely need to replace Marcus Maye, who is coming off an injury and may not be brought back. I’d like to see them target a safety like the Honey Badger or Marcus Williams over Maye, too.

• Chandler Jones – DE/OLB – Arizona Cardinals

If Chandler Jones (10.5 sacks in 2021) doesn’t want to return to the Cardinals, I have a feeling he will be overpaid by a team elsewhere. The Jets could honestly be the team to give him a universal amount of money. The Dolphins overpaid for Ndamukong Suh and I believe Jets could cough up the most for Jones. Still, I do believe he will not be a bust and he could be a pivotal factor in the Jets pass rush.

Jones and Quinnen Williams would be a surreal duo on the Jets DL. He could likely play 4-5 more seasons at a high level and that will be important for the Jets in the AFC who look to make a quick turnaround, just as Cincy did recently in their same conference.

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