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Saints have new plan for Kenny Vaccaro

The former first-rounder will look to fulfill an important role this season

James Parks - 3 hours ago

In his four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Kenny Vaccaro has made his name known with physical play in the box, at and near the line of scrimmage.

In his fifth season here, the team has much larger plans for the safety.

“We want him to be an all-around safety,” secondary coach Aaron Glenn said. “For him to be as effective as he can be, he has to be able to play back deep. He’s been doing that better.”

Vaccaro played almost half of his defensive snaps, or 47.2 percent, within eight yards of the line of scrimmage, which confined him mostly to playing against the rush. His 5.2 run-stop percentage mark ranked No. 34 among NFL safeties.

“We’re able to find opportunities where we can send him on a rush because he’s a fast and explosive player, and he’ll go back there with a reckless disregard for his body,” Allen said. “That’s a good thing.”

The Saints fared well stopping the run, ranking just above average in the final league rankings, but against the pass were the NFL’s worst. By getting better play from their front seven, including a few new linebackers, the team hopes they can move Vaccaro back to help a secondary in need.

Vaccaro played just 10 percent of his 2016 snaps at the free safety position.

“I think his experience helps him in that regard,” Allen added, “but I think more than anything his mindset and the type of player he is allows him to be successful in those situations.”