Saints 2022 Year-In-Review: Kaden Elliss

An injury to a key New Orleans defender opened the door for the Saints best breakout player of 2022.

When Werner suffered an ankle injury early in a Week 9 game against Baltimore, it opened the door for the 27-year-old Elliss to flourish.

Elliss finished with 7 sacks, 11 pressures, two passes broken up, and 7 tackles for loss among 78 total stops. All were career best numbers. Six of his sacks, along with 63 tackles, came in the last nine games. He was not only disruptive against the run and as a pass rusher, but also showed vast improvements in coverage, thought to be a weakness in his game.

Despite not seeing full-time duty until the mid-season point, Elliss was second on the team in sacks, third in QB hits, and fourth in total tackles and tackles for loss. His 2022 statistics dwarfed the combined numbers he had over his first three NFL seasons.

In the last nine games with Elliss in full-time duty, the Saints gave up an average of less than 15 points and 309 yards per contest while recording 29 sacks. Elliss was as disruptive as any of the more highly publicized New Orleans defenders over this stretch.

An unrestricted free agent entering the offseason, Elliss should be a top priority for the Saints to re-sign. His emergence, along with Werner's development and the elite presence of Davis gave New Orleans one of the league's best trio of linebackers.

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