Free safety has to be one of the most difficult positions to gauge success in, because there are just so many ways to play it. Some people may base it on not giving up deep plays, others may base it on interceptions and still others may base success on diagnosing and stopping plays. The Saints’ defensive scheme throughout 2016 was fairly consistent, for better or for worse. They kept their safeties high and away from the play to compensate for their debilitated cornerback situation, including utilizing a lot of three safety sets.
Jairus Byrd struggled at times in these sets, culminating early in the season in him not starting against the San Diego Chargers.