March 9, 2026, 4:55 a.m. CT
Brandon Staley took over as new defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints heading into the 2025 season. Staley made some drastic changes to the scheme, as the Saints finished ninth in total defense and fourth against the pass. One of those significant changes was more use of a 3-man defensive line. The front seven adjusted well to the switch, also showing significant improvements against the run.
One notable deficiency for the Saints in 2025 was the lack of a traditional nose tackle. Davon Godchaux, John Ridgeway III, and Khristian Boyd rotated in that spot on base downs, with some more shuffling in other situations. A big-bodied run-stopper in the middle is an underrated need in New Orleans this offseason. Heading into free agency, here are a couple options who can fill that exact role.
Free agent nose tacklesDevonte Wyatt (age 28)Teair Tart (29)Sebastian Joseph-Day (31)Jordan Phillips (35)Tim Settle (29)
There are other interior free agent defensive lineman available who might intrigue the Saints, but they are defensive tackles that have mostly played in 4-3 schemes. Players like John Franklin-Myers, Shelby Harris, Levi Onwuzurike, and former Saint David Onyemata are all productive interior linemen who have played primarily in four-man fronts. Adding any of them would cause additional shuffling up front but wouldn’t necessarily fill the need of a wide-bodied space eater that ties up multiple blockers.
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Wyatt has been a disruptive interior pass rusher who’s improved against the run through his career. In his last three years with the Packers, he has 14.5 sacks with 27 QB hits, 37 pressures, and 21 tackles for loss. His athleticism also gives him the versatility to play an outside spot in a 3-4 while also manning the middle in both even or odd-man fronts.
Tart is exactly the traditional type of nose tackle the Saints are missing. The powerful defender has just 3.5 sacks over a six-year career, but gets excellent interior push and has 27 career stops for a loss. He’ll consistently occupy multiple blockers while clogging inside lanes and freeing up opportunities for teammates in one-on-one blocking situations.Joseph-Day has played both nose tackle in odd-man fronts and both inside spots on four-man lines. He’s been pretty effective in each role and has 15.5 sacks, 54 pressures, and 35 tackles for loss with three teams over seven seasons. Joseph-Day spent two of those years with the Chargers under Brandon Staley.
Phillips is a well-traveled veteran that’s played for four teams over his 11-year career. He’s not the pass rusher he once was, but is still extremely effective as a rotational player. He’d also provide leadership as a potential mentor to younger defensive linemen. Settle hasn’t played much nose tackle in three-man fronts, but has the prototype build and power for such a role. He’s also been an excellent run defender throughout his career and can consistently win against double-teams on the inside.
Saints’ outlook at defensive tackle
This isn’t a flashy position, but one where New Orleans certainly needs improvement. Signing a player like Franklin-Myers, Harris, or Onyemata would make a splash and add overall production to the defensive front. However, it wouldn’t necessarily give the Saints a traditional big presence for a base 3-4 system. Adding a Wyatt, Tart, Joseph-Day, etc. wouldn’t create headlines, but would give the Saints power in the middle and as a result could make their outside talent more effective.