Oct 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; General view of the New Orleans Saints logo as the midfield logo fleur-de-lis after the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints Potential Julian Blackmon Replacement Emerging

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The New Orleans Saints' defense already has taken a big hit this season and the team only has played one game.

New Orleans lost safety Julian Blackmon potentially for the rest of the 2025 National Football League season. That's a big blow. Blackmon was the guy brought in to replace Tyrann Mathieu after he announced his retirement this summer. Blackmon immediately emerged as a starter for the Saints and looked good Week 1.

But, now the Saints need to go back to the drawing board to replace him.

It's going to be tough, but one guy who already has emerged as a potential option in the short term to replace Blackmon is Jonas Sanker. On Wednesday, head coach Kellen Moore talked about Sanker specifically and said he's going to do an "awesome job," as shared by Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football.

"Kellen Moore said rookie Jonas Sanker 'is gonna do an awesome job' when asked if Saints feel like they have an in-house replacement for injured safety Julian Blackmon or plan to look outside building. Saints also have Jordan Howden, Terrell Burgess, but Moore singled out Sanker," Triplett shared.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell also talked about how Sanker could fit into the mix.

The New Orleans Saints have a decision to make

"If the Saints turn to Sanker, it will be because of his versatility and impressive preseason," Terrell said. "He led the team with 15 total tackles in the preseason and also had an interception at the end of the second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that ended a chance of a comeback. The game ended in a 17-17 tie since there is no overtime in the preseason.

"Sanker, who praised both Blackmon and Reid as mentors in training camp, said at the time that he felt prepared for the next level thanks to his time at Virginia, where he was a team captain last season and had a 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Boston College."

The Saints already have a tall task ahead of them. Losing Blackmon is a tough hit, there's no way around that.

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

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