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Five Saints defenders who won't go away without a fight Football season is back Youth Andrus Peat Jersey , and the New Orleans Saints are about one week into training camp. After just a handful of practices, some of us are already making final roster decisions for the team before a preseason game has even been played. Talk of the impact of rookies and free agent newcomers, unheralded players who could steal a roster spot, and veteran players who are on the roster bubble will dominate conversation until the official NFL roster limits are met. What sometimes gets lost in these conversations are players that have made contributions on past team successes, but perhaps go a bit under the radar this time of year. These are sometimes "bubble" players, but more often than not may have their spots on the team fairly secure, and are overshadowed by a bigger name player ahead of them on the depth chart. George Johnson, DEKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsMost talk regarding the Saints defensive line this offseason has been focused around number one draft choice Marcus Davenport, the return to health of Alex Okafor, or if second year Trey Hendrickson can stay healthy. When the Saints line was ravaged by injury late last season, the team signed veteran journeyman George Johnson. Just days after joining his new team, Johnson recorded a sack against the New York Jets, and one week later had another 1.5 sacks against division rival Atlanta. Johnson provided both a solid pass rush, along with setting the edge well against the run down the stretch of last season, and deflected a punt in the team's narrow playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The 6'4, 265-lb. defensive end has played for six teams since entering the league in 2010, but New Orleans felt strongly enough about his play to re-sign the 30-yr old to a 1-year contract this offseason. A crowded New Orleans defensive end position looks loaded. Cameron Jordan is one of the best defensive players in the league. Okafor, Davenport Andrus Peat Jersey Stitched , and Hendrickson will combine to provide a disruptive presence on the opposite side, while second year end Al-Quadin Muhammad is a potential breakout candidate. A player like George Johnson may not be a splashy name, but is the type of player who can provide the kind of versatile depth that can knock a more popular name off an NFL roster. Hau'oli Kikaha, EDGEDerick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsKikaha is one of just four players remaining from the Saints 2015 draft. The injury-prone former 2nd round pick has played in just 27 of 98 games since joining the team, has yet to finish a season, and missed all of 2016 with a knee injury. Kikaha has seen the bulk of his snaps at outside linebacker early so far in camp, but is a liability in pass coverage, so his best bet to stick around may be as a situational pass rusher. Kikaha has shown good burst around the edge, and has 8 career sacks and 4 forced fumbles, along with being an underrated run defender. Although definitely considered among the veterans on the bubble, if Kikaha can remain healthy and provide additional pass rush, he would be difficult to overlook for a roster spot. Nate Stupar, LBPhoto by Jonathan Bachman/Getty ImagesA retooled and improved Saints linebacking unit finally looks like it can match up athletically with opposing offenses. Craig Robertson, Alex Anzalone, A.J. Klein, and free agent newcomer Demario Davis are fast, versatile, every down defenders who may give New Orleans it's best squad in over a decade. Manti Te'o stepped up last season to provide solid depth Youth P.J. Williams Jersey , especially against the run, and Jayrone Elliott, Colton Jumper, and Keshun Freeman will compete with Kikaha for spots at a suddenly deep position. Not mentioned a great deal is the return of Nate Stupar. The 30-yr old Stupar missed all but 4 games in 2017 due to injury, but adds both starting experience and versatility. He is capable of playing either inside or outside, plays tough against the run, and is smart in pass coverage. Stupar is also a standout special teams performer, something that may further cement his roster position. Chris Banjo, SChuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsNew Orleans saw greatly improved play from their safeties a year ago. Marcus Williams and Vonn Bell inspired such confidence in fact, that the team elected not to pursue a new contract to former number one pick Kenny Vaccaro. The Saints did sign veteran free safety Kurt Coleman, giving them a potentially lethal 3-safety combination. Reserve Chris Banjo was able to give the defense some solid snaps at safety last season, intercepting one pass, and looks to be in the mix again this preseason. Banjo was one of the Saints top special team performers all season, a point of emphasis for the team this offseason. With the additions of young defensive backs like Natrell Jamerson, Linden Stephens, and Kamrin Moore providing competition for not only jobs in the secondary, but added athleticism on special teams, Banjo will need to make plays in the secondary to couple with his special teams ability to hold a roster spot in a talented secondary. P.J. Williams P.J. Williams Jersey Stitched , CBPhoto by Harry How/Getty ImagesMuch has been made of the young and extremely talented New Orleans secondary, particularly at cornerback. Ken Crawley and Marshon Lattimore, last season's defensive rookie of the year, formed one of the NFL's best duos at one of football's most important positions. The Saints added free agent Patrick Robinson this offseason, who has developed into one of the league's better slot corners. Competition for the other cornerback spots is expected to be fierce, between 2nd year players Justin Hardee and Arthur Maulet (who has been an early camp star), along with rookies Natrell Jamerson, Kamrin Moore, and Linden Stephens. One player who some have placed on the roster bubble perhaps prematurely is 3rd year defensive back P.J. Williams. Another 2015 draft pick (3rd round, 78th overall), Williams had just six quarters of regular season action prior to last season due to injury. Although his 2017 season was a bit inconsistent, Williams still intercepted two passes and was credited with nine passes defensed. Not quite the man-to-man defender that some of the other New Orleans defensive backs on the roster are, he is still solid in coverage and is an aggressive tackler. Williams has stood out early this training camp in his coverage duties, andone must not forget how relatively inexperienced he was last season. Despite that, the former Florida State star was still a very big part of what an improved Saints defense was able to accomplish in 2017, and is showing that it may be a mistake to discount him as a big part of a 2018 championship chase. An icon added to his legendary legacy in 2018."Despite the home invasion that the New Orleans Saints suffered at the hands of the NFL in the NFC championship game when "losing" to the Los Angeles Rams 26-23 in overtime, the 2018 season was one to remember for Saints fans. Over the next couple weeks, we will recap the memorable campaign by grading the performance of the Saints position groups. We'll start with the man who has created a novel full of memories for fans and followers of this franchise. QUARTERBACK Chuck Cook-USA TODAY SportsDuring a week five Monday night home game against the Washington Redskins Youth Taysom Hill Jersey , quarterback Drew Brees etched his name at the top of yet another of many NFL records he owns. Late in the second quarter of the game in front of a national audience, Brees dropped back to pass and completed a perfectly placed strike to Tre'Quan Smith down the right sideline for a 62 yard touchdown and a 26-6 lead in an important conference matchup. The pass moved him ahead of Peyton Manning as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yardage, one of the most hallowed marks in all of sports. Brees, who is also the league's all-time leader in career completions and completion percentage, is now just 20 touchdown passes away from passing Manning for the NFL career record in that category. Even though he is achieving these well-deserved marks due to sustained success over his 18-yr. career, the now 40 year old Brees showed in 2018 that he can still play at an elite level. He threw for 3,992 yards this season, snapping his NFL record of twelve straight years with over 4,000 passing yards, but threw for 32 touchdowns and a career low 5 interceptions. He riddled opposing defenses, completing a league best 74.4% of his passes, eclipsing his own NFL record. Jason Getz-USA TODAY SportsBrees threw for over 300 yards six times this season, but only twice through the last nine games, including playoffs. Part of the reason for the drop in production was that he was surrounded with an effectively balanced attack. His 509 passing attempts were his fewest in his thirteen years with the Saints. Brees struggled a bit with his deep ball late in the season however, perhaps due to some pass protection issues or a series of nagging injuries, but the shortcoming was clear. Still, the future Hall of Famer retains the ability to skillfully complete most throws, and continues to process defenses as well as anyone that's ever played. Brees remains one of the most feared quarterbacks in the game. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesNew Orleans traded a 3rd round draft pick to the New York Jets late in the summer for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The 26-yr. old Bridgewater saw mop-up duty in a few games and started the regular season finale Taysom Hill Jersey Stitched , where he completed 14 of 22 passes for 118 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Bridgewater is an unrestricted free agent this spring, but the Saints may attempt to re-sign him at a reasonable price, in hopes that he could be the eventual replacement for Brees. He has two seasons of starting experience, good mobility, solid arm strength, and the team's coaching staff seemed impressed at Bridgwater's ability to pick up the playbook. Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesTaysom Hill is listed as a quarterback, but he is in fact the swiss army knife in the New Orleans offense. He attempted just 7 passes during the regular season, completing three, for 64 yards and an interception. Hill was often used as a runner from the wildcat formation, although later in the year also used as an H-back. He ran for 196 yards and two scores during the regular season, and caught a touchdown pass during the NFC championship game. Hill is even more valuable to the team as a special teams player. His athleticism shines on kick coverage, he has had some success as a kick returner, and has provided a number of momentum changing plays during the season. Hill blocked a punt during the Saints week 14 victory at Tampa to fuel a comeback, and a fake punt execution by Hill on a key gamble in the divisional playoffs allowed the Saints to turn the game around on route to a postseason win against Philadelphia. Make no mistake; Taysom Hill's future is not at the quarterback position, but he is a key gadget in the Saints offensive and special teams arsenal. Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty ImagesBrees has already announced that he will return for at least the final year of his contract. Brees has proven that he is still a championship caliber quarterback, and he is still the heart and soul of his franchise. This was especially evident when Brees willed his team to a stirring week 3 road comeback against division rival Atlanta. The question of how long before a steep decline in his play remains however, which coincides with the championship window for these New Orleans Saints. QUARTERBACK GRADE = B+