After David Onyemata followed former position coach Ryan Nielsen to Atlanta early in free agency, the Saints addressed their defensive tackle need with their first draft choice. They now have their top pick under contract.
The Saints agreed to terms with first-round pick Bryan Bresee on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Clemson product will be tied to a four-year, $12.26MM deal, one that will include a fifth-year option for the 2027 season. The Saints do not have to decide on Bresee’s option until May 2026. Bresee’s contract is fully guaranteed, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets.
New Orleans gave Derek Carr a four-year, $150MM deal, tying up its free agency funds. The team let Onyemata, Marcus Davenport and Kentavius Street walk but moved to restock its D-line this offseason. Prior to drafting Bresee at No. 29 — the pick the team obtained from the Broncos in the Sean Payton trade — the Saints signed DTs Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. These two will work with Bresee alongside Cam Jordan along New Orleans’ front.
Arriving at Clemson as 2020’s top overall recruit, Bresee did not deliver the dominant college career his high school profile suggested. A 2021 ACL tear sidetracked Bresee’s progress, but he returned to action last year and did not see his draft stock fall too far. He started as a true freshman in 2020 and rallied back from his sophomore knee injury to earn second-team All-ACC acclaim last season. Nearly two years removed from his setback, the powerful interior defender should be better positioned to develop in New Orleans.
The Saints have now drafted five first-round defensive linemen since 2011, with Bresee following Jordan (2011), Sheldon Rankins (2016), Davenport (2018) and Payton Turner (2021). The team also used its second-round pick on a defensive end, taking Isaiah Foskey 40th overall out of Notre Dame. Foskey remains unsigned.