Story byLuke Loffredo, Saints WireSat, January 17, 2026 at 11:55 AM UTC·3 min readOne of the earliest moves the New Orleans Saints made last offseason came via trade, bolstering their defensive line ahead of the 2025 campaign. In March, the Saints sent a 2026 seventh-round pick to the New England Patriots to acquire veteran defensive tackle and LSU alum Davon Godchaux. Long regarded as one of the league’s more reliable nose tackles, Godchaux was expected to be a foundational piece in the Saints’ transition to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley -- a schematic shift not seen in New Orleans since the Steve Spagnuolo-Rob Ryan era. While his first season in New Orleans came with tempered expectations and mixed results, Davon Godchaux’s role still carried importance as the Saints transitioned to a new defensive identity.