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New Orleans Saints want to find a way to stay healthier, particularly on defense

MOBILE, Ala. – The New Orleans Saints find themselves trying to find clarity in murky waters this offseason.

New Orleans has seen its defense decimated by injuries two seasons in a row, particularly at the cornerback position, where the planned depth chart hasn't even made it to the season opener.

Figuring out whether or not the Saints have just been through a run of bad luck or if there's a correctable mistake to be fixed is the hard part.

"We've got to find a way to stay healthier, I think, especially at some of our key positions on defense," general manager Mickey Loomis said at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday.

A wide range of injuries crippled the Saints' defensive plans this season. Rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and No. 1 cornerback Delvin Breaux both suffered broken fibulas that cost them significant time. Keenan Lewis had a lingering hip injury that simply wouldn't go away and eventually forced the Saints to cut him, and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe suffered a quadricep injury that cost him seven games. Emerging cornerback P.J. Williams saw his season ended by a brutal concussion; Damian Swann missed significant parts of training camp and never got going after concussions derailed his rookie year. Veteran middle linebacker James Laurinaitis lost his starting spot in part due to an injured quadricep.

No position has been hit harder than cornerback over the past two seasons. Both times, the Saints believed they'd assembled a good mix of veterans and young players, only to see the position decimated by injury.

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“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill