Saints veteran Cameron Jordan had surgery earlier this year to address a significant ankle injury he suffered in November. Despite playing through the injury, the eight-time Pro Bowler was clearly impacted by it towards the end of the 2023 season, resulting in only two sacks (his lowest total since his rookie year in 2011).

Thankfully, Jordan is now recovering and has started running and participating in walk-throughs. He aims to return to on-field activities by the end of OTAs and minicamp in June (the last OTA session is on June 6, and the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp begins on June 11).

Despite the drop in sack numbers, Jordan still received a solid 73.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking him as the 41st-best edge defender out of 112 qualified players. While it’s not as impressive as his performances from 2015-21, it’s consistent with his 2022 season. His pass rush grade was 63.8, but with a healthy ankle, there’s hope he can replicate his stats from 2022 where he had 8.5 sacks, 66 total tackles (13 TFL), and two forced fumbles.

Jordan, who will be 35 in July, has two more years left in his playing career. He signed an extension last August keeping him with the team until 2025, which he anticipates will be his final season. The Saints restructured his contract in March to create cap space.

Joining Jordan on the Saints’ defensive front is free agent addition Chase Young, who is still awaiting a lucrative deal after being the No. 2 overall pick in 2020. Young won Defensive Rookie of the Year that season but struggled with a serious knee injury afterward, recording 7.5 sacks in 2023 with the Commanders and 49ers. While he can earn up to $13MM on his one-year contract with the Saints, most of it is in per-game roster bonuses.

Young’s market was limited due to a neck surgery in the offseason, and the Saints were aware that he needed time to recover. He is expected to remain in “walk-through mode” through minicamp, with reports suggesting he will be sidelined until training camp in July.