The 10 best pass rushers in Saints history

I was inspired to post this based on a blog post I saw by our friend Barry Hirstius over at Big Easy Believer. Barry gave you the 5 career leaders in sacks (top 10 can be seen here), but my list below is a little different.  Longevity doesn’t necessarily make you the best pass rusher. Below are the 10 best as I’ve witnessed them, regardless of what the career stats say.

1. Pat Swilling (1986-1992): By far the most explosive edge player I’ve ever watched for the Saints. He beat guys off the edge with pure speed and athleticism. He had the same scary get off you see from Von Miller these days. He was that good. Rickey Jackson might be the Dome Patrol member in the Hall of Fame and he might be the career leader in Saints history for sacks, but Swilling was a better pass rusher in his prime. Swilling had 17 sacks in 1991 and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the only Saints player to ever win that award. He also had 16 sacks in a season once.

2. Rickey Jackson (1981-1993): His best season was 1992 when he had 13.5 sacks and he did that at 34 years of age. His 115 career sacks are more than anyone else by over 20. He probably would have had more if Swilling wasn’t often beating him to the quarterback. 13.5 is only #5 in team history in single season sacks, but the fact that he did it in the twilight of his career proves how steady he was for a long, long time. He had double digit sacks six times in his career.

3. La’Roi Glover (1997-2001): He didn’t play long for the Saints but his 17 sacks in 2000 tied Swilling for the most in a single season in team history. Glover was an undersized defensive tackle that had the quickest first step off the snap I’ve ever seen from an interior player. He may not have been the best run defender but he was deadly up the middle on passing downs. He was less of a pocket pusher and more of a beat you with his quickness off that first step guy. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2000.

4. Wayne Martin (1989-1999): I feel bad putting him this low. The guys ahead here are special, but so is he. The thing that was great about Martin was how much they moved him around. He could rush from anywhere, inside or out. He’s probably the best all around pass rusher. He was never as explosive as Swilling or Glover, but he could get to you in a multitude of ways. Power, finesse, moves, hustle – you name it. Cam Jordan reminds me of him a bit, but Martin was better. Martin is second all time in Saints history in sacks and his 15.5 sacks in 1992 are 4th best in team history for a single season.

5. Will Smith (2004-2012): He was an edge end but he was more of a power rusher. He was similar to Martin but with less athleticism. Of all these guys, I would say he was the most powerful, though. In his prime he would maul left tackles and he had a nice variety of moves. He had double digit sack seasons twice, his best with 13 in 2009.

6. Junior Galette (2010-2014): Say what you will about the off the field stuff, Galette was blazing quick off the edge. He wasn’t quite as fast or athletic as Swilling and he didn’t have the technique of Glover, but he relied solely on his explosiveness to get a 12 sack season in 2013 and a 10 sack season in 2014.

7. Joe Johnson (1994-2001): One of the best all around defensive ends in Saints history. Like Smith he did a little bit of everything well. He was a steady pass rusher but never spectacular. He had a double digit sack season once in 2000 with 12.

8. Cameron Jordan (2011-present): Like Johnson he does everything well and he’s been steady. He has two double digit sack seasons with 12.5 in 2013. He’s probably a good season away from moving into the top 5.

9. Renaldo Turnbull (1990-1996): His 13 sacks in 1993 was his best season. Turnbull come in with unfair huge expectations being the heir to Jackson and Swilling. He was never going to live up to their standard and so most Saints fans remember him being worse than he was. He was a good pass rusher but his poor attitude during his time in New Orleans didn’t help.

10. Charles Grant (2002-2009): I considered a few guys here. Charlie Clemons who had one fluke 13.5 sack season, Derland Moore who never had the benefit of sacks being an official stat during his time, Darren Howard who had one double digit sack season and another bad attitude, or Jim Wilks/Frank Warren who never had a huge season but played for a long time and always gave a steady pass rush. But Grant was a real good rusher early in his career. After double digit sacks in 2003 and 2004 he would soon get a huge contract, gain a lot of weight, and never produce at the same rate. The bummer here is he could and should be higher on this list.