Could this deal change some future decisions?
Last season, the New Orleans Saints ranked almost dead last in run defense. Opponents would control games with their respective rushing attacks, and because the Saints had to focus so much effort on stopping this, the pass defense was being exposed. Having a league-low run defense will prevent a team from winning many games, and if New Orleans wanted to win games in 2025, this needed to change. In addition, the Saints needed a nose tackle for Brandon Staley’s scheme, but before today, that player was not on the roster. The Saints knew this, and before the legal tampering period opened, New Orleans traded for Patriots DT Davon Godchaux.
The final details of the trade were the Saints sending a 2026 7th-round pick to the Patriots for Godchaux. Regarding the cap, Godchaux will have a $5 million cap hit in 2025 and $8.5 million in 2026, per Spotrac. The Saints are expected to rework this contract to be more cap-friendly for 2025. Now that the financial impact is out of the way let us focus on what Godchaux brings to the team.
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As I mentioned, the Saints needed a real run-stopping NT that can take up space. Well, that is precisely what Davon Godchaux is. In Brandon Staley’s scheme, Godchaux will be primarily utilized as the 0-tech/NT in 3-4 sets. His strength (no pun intended) is not pass rush, so if Staley does run a 4-3 defensive front at times, Godchaux’s utilization would drop. The Patriots and Mike Vrabel are switching their defense to a primary 4-3 scheme, which was why Godchaux requested a trade back in February. With free agency beginning this week, the chances of Godchaux being released were extremely high. If that happened, the Saints would have had competition and been outbid by other teams. Instead, the Saints trade a 7th-round pick in 2026 to guarantee getting a starter.
A deal like this tends to put some players at risk of being cut, and one defensive tackle in particular comes to mind: John Ridgeway III. By trading for Godchaux, extending Nathan Shepherd’s contract, and restructuring Khalen Saunders, Ridgeway is the odd man out. Last year, the Saints traded for Ridgeway, and although he had a fine season, it would make sense for a cut to happen. Ridgeway will not be a significant loss on defense and would save the Saints $1 million in cap space.
While adding Godchaux may push some players out of the rotation, such as Ridgeway, the work at defensive tackle should not be finished.
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More defensive tackle additions from free agency are unlikely, but in the draft, the Saints should still be looking to add another to the roster. Kellen Moore made it known in his introductory press conference that focusing on the trenches is extremely important, and with how talented this DT draft class is, the Saints need to select one in 2025. With the Godchaux set to become the starting NT, New Orleans has some flexibility with drafting a DT.
In the first, Mason Graham at pick 9 would be a fantastic selection and instantly make this defensive tackle room the strength of the defense, but dropping to the Saints is unlikely. On Day 2, Darius Alexander would be an ideal defensive tackle prospect for the Saints. At the Senior Bowl, Alexander shined and can fit into whatever defense Brandon Staley wants to run. If the Saints decide to pass on some of the defensive tackle talent in the first three rounds, day 3 is full of potential selections, such as Deone Walker and Aeneas Peebles. Continuing to add talent to the DT room is always a smart thing to do, and depending on what the team does in the draft, this group can become the strength of the defense.
The New Orleans Saints have made their first offseason acquisition by trading for Davon Godchaux, and with free agency right around the corner, expect more moves to be made.
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