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Safety The New Orleans Saints have not had a safety make the Pro Bowl since the 2010 season http://www.saintscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-alex-okafor-jersey , when Roman Harper earned the honors. The Saints pass defense had ranked lower than 25th in yards allowed in five of six seasons prior to last year, and 30th or lower four of those times. Colossally poor free agent signings (Jairus Byrd, 2014), coupled with inconsistent production from high draft picks (Kenny Vaccaro, 1st round, 2013; Malcolm Jenkins, 1st round, 2009) led to a lack of playmakers in the last line of defense, and record-setting futility as a result. New Orleans invested two high picks in back to back drafts at the safety position while in the process of rebuilding every level of their defense. Today's training camp preview has a look at how this position may influence the fate of the 2018 Saints. SAFETYKey Losses: Kenny Vaccaro (free agent), Rafael Bush (free agent, Bills)Key Additions: Kurt Coleman (free agent, Panthers), Natrell Jamerson (cb/s-draft, 5th round)Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsThe issue that everyone will want to talk about is this: How will Marcus Williams recover mentally from the mistake that caused the Minnesota Vikings to pull off the improbable last second miracle to prevent the Saints from going to the NFC Championship game? Don't forget that it was his stellar play in the second half, including an acrobatic interception that set up a key touchdown, that helped put the Saints in a position to win that game in the first place. Williams, a 2nd round pick last season (42nd overall), was one of an incredible four New Orleans draft choices to be voted onto the NFL's All-Rookie team. His four interceptions were second on the team, and he was third on the team in total tackles. Williams has excellent range in the secondary, along with good play recognition ability and the athleticism to get there and make a play. He gave the Saints their first legitimate playmaker on the back end since Darren Sharper during the 2009 championship season. Williams has had fanatical focus during the offseason, and this young player who played at a Pro Bowl level at times as a rookie looks poised to take another big leap forward. Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesPrior to using a second round pick on Williams last season, New Orleans had used a 2nd rounder (61st overall) on Vonn Bell in the 2016 draft. Bell's tackle totals last year were a bit down from his rookie outing, but he still led the Saints defense in stops. He has yet to show the ballhawking skills he was known for at Ohio State, having yet to record an interception in his professional career. Bell has shown solid man-to-man coverage skills http://www.saintscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-ted-ginn-jr-jersey , and plays well close to the line of scrimmage, one of the reasons the team elected not to try and re-sign Vaccaro. He has proven to be an excellent blitzer as well, finishing tied for second on the team with 4.5 sacks. Chris Banjo provided outstanding special teams play, but also had an interception last season, and contributed some solid snaps at safety during the year. Banjo will look to hold off undrafted free agent J.T. Gray and former Falcons special teamer Sharrod Neasman for one of the final roster spots in the secondary. Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty ImagesTo offset the loss of Vaccaro, the Saints signed former Carolina Panthers safety Kurt Coleman in free agency. The 30-yr. old Coleman began his career with Philadelphia in 2010, spending the last three seasons with the division rival Panthers. He has 21 career interceptions, including 11 and two touchdown returns with Carolina, and an NFC-best 7 pick-offs in 2015. Coleman did not have an interception in 2017, but did lead the Carolina secondary in tackles despite missing four games. He brings decent range at free safety, veteran leadership, and extensive familiarity of the quarterbacks and receivers in the NFC South. Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesThe Saints drafted former Wisconsin standout Natrell Jamerson in the 5th round this spring, then followed that by drafting Kamrin Moore from Boston College in the 6th round. Jamerson and Moore were both primarily cornerbacks in college, but will likely get looks at safety in camp, and are outstanding special teams performers. Jamerson in particular, who came to Wisconsin as a receiver but played both safety and corner for the Badgers, could work his way into a key role in the secondary. Despite his inexperience as a defensive back, he shows natural instincts for the position and outstanding athletic ability. New Orleans surprised some by not pursuing Vaccaro or any other big name at safety during free agency, but the safety play was much improved a year ago even without Vaccaro in the lineup at various points. Williams has the look of a perennial Pro Bowler, Bell showed marked improvement in his second season, and Coleman can still provide solid play as a starter. Banjo, or one of the young newcomers, will need to improve to solidify depth, and are expected to contribute heavily on special teams. Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams are among a group of young Saints defenders 25-yrs. old or younger Cheap Alex Anzalone Jersey , and their progression is vital for a rapidly improving New Orleans defense that is expected to push for a championship in 2018. The New Orleans Saints made a strong statement throughout the NFC on Monday night by thoroughly dispatching the Washington Redskins in front of a national audience. The Redskins may not be the strongest team on the New Orleans schedule, but they are one of the league's better defenses, and also have an efficient offense. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesThe Saints were firing on nearly all cylinders early, and despite some early struggles defensively on 3rd down, they held a Redskins offense that historically has given them trouble in check. Washington finished with just 283 total yards, and the Saints were again dominant against the run, giving up just 39 yards and 2.1 per carry. New Orleans sacked Washington quarterback Alex Smith three times, forcing a fumble and intercepting him once. The Saints secondary again did a solid job at bottling up the passing game, all but eliminating the big plays down the field. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesOffensively, New Orleans rolled up 27 first downs and 447 total yards. Running back Mark Ingram returned to the lineup after a four game suspension and rushed for two scores, as New Orleans employed a balanced game plan that kept the Washington defense on their heels. The Saints also benefited from solid performances from their supporting cast, meaning that they did not need a high output from Michael Thomas or Alvin Kamara to be successful. Certainly a frightening thought for the rest of the NFL. This was a dominant team win, to be sure, but today we just give out one game ball, to a legend that often gets overlooked during conversations about the greatest of all time. DREW BREES Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesWith 2:46 to go in the second quarter and ahead 20-6, Saints quarterback Drew Brees dropped back to pass and looked deep down the right sideline. In his typical perfect precision, Brees hit rookie wide receiver Tre'quan Smith, who barely broke stride while taking the ball in for a 62-yd. touchdown. The reception was Smith's first professional score, and put the Saints firmly in control of the game. Even more historically important, the completion vaulted Drew Brees past Peyton Manning as the NFL's all-time passing yardage record holder. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesSmith, who led all receivers with a career high 111 yards on 3 catches, added a 35-yd. score from Brees early in the 3rd quarter. The competitive phase of this game was ended a short time later, when a Justin Hardee interception return set up a short Saints touchdown, putting them up 40-13 before the end of the third quarter. New Orleans benefited from several standout performances. Marcus Davenport http://www.thesaintsfootballauthentic.com/tyeler-davison-jersey-authentic , Cam Jordan, Sheldon Rankins (1 sack each), and Demario Davis led an aggressive defensive effort that heavily pressured the Redskins backfield all evening. Cam Meredith (5 catches, 71 yards), Thomas (4-74), and Smith were the leaders of Brees' aerial assault on the night, as the Saints had seven pass plays of over 20 yards. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty ImagesThe Saints put on perhaps their most complete performance of the 2018 season so far, and served notice that they are indeed a championship contender as the season nears it's halfway point. This evening though, belonged to the 39-yr old Brees, as he broke one of the most hallowed career marks in all of sports. As he typically will, Brees was his best when the spotlight shined the brightest, completing 26 of his 29 passes (89.7%) for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns. For the year, he has completed nearly 78% of his throws, averaging over 330 yards per game, and has thrown 11 touchdown passes without a single interception. He has now thrown for 72,103 yards in his incredible career, and next has his sights set on the NFL all time passing touchdown mark. Brees currently has 499 touchdown passes, one behind Tom Brady's 500. Only Brett Favre (508) and Peyton Manning (539) sit ahead of the next iconic record on Brees' path to the Hall of Fame. As any New Orleans player will tell you though, the most important numbers to Brees are the 43-19 score his team won by on Monday night, and the 4 victories the Saints have as they enter their bye week. Unlike most of the greats late in their career that number 9 is passing up statistically, Brees is still playing very close to the best football of his amazing career. Combine that with the impressive play of the talented New Orleans team around him, the number that this group is most focused on is adding championship #2 on the amazing resume' of one of the greatest football players of all time. Congratulations Drew Brees!