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The New Orleans Saints had the NFL’s second-ranked run defense in 2018, and their top defensive free agent of 2019 could help the group be even better next season.

Malcom Brown will be the Saints’ top nose tackle in 2019, and the team thinks the former Patriots first-round pick will be an upgrade over Tyeler Davison, who had the starting role the past three-plus years.



And while the Saints think Brown’s run-stuffing ability is his best trait, they also think there’s a chance he’ll be able to help more as a pass-rusher than his career sack numbers indicate.

“I think that’s something we’re going to continue to look at with Malcom,” Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said of Brown’s pass-rush ability. “He wasn’t really asked to do that a whole lot in New England. I think there’s a little bit of ability in that area that he can help us.”

Brown said he primarily played on first and second downs in New England, which is typical for a nose tackle. However, with the Saints having early-season questions about their defensive tackle depth, Brown might have to play more on passing downs.

Sheldon Rankins will miss the start of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in January, and David Onyemata is still awaiting word from the NFL about potential punishment for a marijuana-related citation he received in January. Last year, Rankins and Onyemata were the Saints’ top two interior players, showing ability to stop the run and pass, but to start 2019, Brown and fellow free-agent acquisition Mario Edwards Jr. could play frequently.

Statistically, Brown had a down year in 2018 with 39 tackles, zero tackles for loss, zero sacks and one quarterback hit. In his first three seasons, Brown averaged 2.8 sacks, 4.7 tackles for loss and five quarterback hits.

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