Sep 24, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; An New Orleans Saints helmet during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Feel-Good Story Developing For Saints' 28-Year-Old

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 4:06 PM ET

If you're a New Orleans Saints fan, the start to the 2025 season likely hasn't been what you want to see.

New Orleans is 0-2 in the Kellen Moore era so far heading into a difficult matchup Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. You're going to see a lot of doom and gloom out there. That's especially going to be the case if the Saints lose their third straight game to begin the 2025 season. But, we're not here for the negativity right now. Let's talk about arguably the biggest bright spot for the team through two weeks: 28-year-old defensive end Carl Granderson.

What a start for Carl Granderson

Granderson is a talented player. We all know this. He's a seven-year National Football League veteran and has spent his entire career in New Orleans. He has developed from an undrafted free agent to a reliable starter in the NFL week in and week out. He started the first two games of the season for New Orleans and hasn't missed a start since 2022. Granderson started all 17 games for the team in 2023 and 2024 and so far in 2025. In 2022, Granderson played in 16 games and made four starts.

Since he has become a starter for New Orleans, he's been lights-out. He had a career-high 8 1/2 sacks in 2023 in his first season as a full-time starter. Last year, he had 5 1/2 sacks in 17 games. This year, he's already more than halfway to last year's total. Granderson is tied with some of the best pass rushers in football with 3 1/2 sacks through two games. The only other players who have reached this threshold so far are Myles Garrett and Harold Landry III.

It's hard to argue against Granderson as the biggest bright spot for New Orleans right now. Despite his success over the last few years, he didn't enter the 2025 season with pretty much any buzz around him. He's already changed that. He's the guy fans should be most excited about.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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