Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

Or do you believe we need extra help still? I mean we don't have room to draft a LB this year early on.

JL is a question to me. It's about his health.
Robertson might be good for depth in case Ellerbe gets hurt.
We know Kikhaha is not good in coverage.
Anthony needs more work.
Tull is still a question mark as we don't know what he will really do.

This is our LB core for next year, is this really decent enough to go into next season?

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

No worse than DT/DE/CB/S.

If the BPA is a LB, pick him.
If all the LB's are just "adequate", don't.

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

Kikaha will not be a LB this season. Payton has already said he is moving to DE. Craig Robertson is actually known for his coverage skills. I can see a rotation with him subbing in those packages. Laurinaitis is also supposedly fully recovered for the arm injury that hampered him all last season. We are clearly moving back to a more 4-3 heavy scheme.

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

No, optomistic but would still process with caution since they haven't taken the field yet but if a linebacker is their BPA in the first, I hope these signing don't make them gun shy come draft day

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

I actually know that.

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

I don't think it will. The moves we made are the blueprint to building teams. You bring in free agents to fill holes, which allows you to draft BPA.

As it stands now, if we sign Nick Fairly, we will truly be set up to draft BPA.

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

On paper, it is the recipe for success. No doubt about it. Stick to the formula and it'll prove successful.

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

personally don't think it matters who you have at LB if the dline stinks again. That said I am always worried until I see the product on the field

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

I am never happy

Re: Do you now trust what we have at LB?
 

Sounds more like a 3-4 front if Kikaha is to a JACK LBer...

Payton said Kikaha would continue to play in passing downs to rush the quarterback. In base packages, Payton floated the idea of Kikaha becoming the "Jack" linebacker, a pass-rushing end. Cam Jordan was the "Jack" in 2015. A year earlier, it was Junior Galette.

"We know Hau' is going to play in the sub rush," Payton said. "So it's not out of the realm to think he can't play that Jack position, that weakside end position. (That would) get him more snaps moving forward. I know he's comfortable with it, and I know it's one of his strengths."

While it's not clear if that shift would represent a dramatic change in the defense, it would certainly make the line more nimble. Kikaha and Jordan would play on the outside, with nose tackle John Jenkins and a "three-technique" defensive tackle still to be acquired on the inside.

Signing of James Laurinaitis could mean new roles at linebacker, Sean Payton says | NOLA.com