Wish the Saints Had Vonn Bell Over Malcolm Jenkins, Don't

The New Orleans Saints secondary has left a lot to be desired so far this season and a lot of the blame is being targeted at the veteran safety who has played 8,790 consecutive snaps. Okay, that number isn't 100% accurate but Malcolm Jenkins has caught a lot of flack from fans so far this season with his play on the field as he should, he hasn't played his best football.

Saints fans always tell me how they wish they had never let Vonn Bell go, how they should have paid him instead of bringing back Jenkins and paying him.

I'm here to tell you, be careful what you wish for because I guarantee Saints fans haven't actually gone and watched a lot of Vonn Bell's play this season with a very below average Cinncinati Bengals defense.

According to Pro Football Focus, Malcolm Jenkins player grades have not been very good but neither has Vonn Bells.

Malcolm Jenkins has graded out at a 51 overall this season, 55 in run defense, his best attribute has been his pass rush at 64, and he's been at his worst in coverage with a 48... If you dig a little bit deeper you'll see that really the best aspect of Jenkins' game this season his tackling which grades him out at about a 71. There have only been two games this season, week one against Tampa and week five against the Chargers in which Jenkins has recorded a 68 grade or higher in coverage.

Now, let's take a look at Vonn Bell. He's graded out at just a 52 this season, 49 in the pass rush, his best attribute is his run defense at 75, and his worst is his coverage grade at 42... As we dig a little bit deeper here we see that much like Malcolm Jenkins, Vonn Bell's best aspect is his tackling which has him grading out at around an 83. However, his coverage grades have been awful this season as he's broken a 60 just once in week two against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The problem with the Saints secondary is clearly their coverage which is Vonn Bell's biggest weakness and is why they probably didn't resign him.

So, before you look at Malcolm Jenkins and think we'd be better off with former Saint Vonn Bell, think again.

A little example from Matt Waldman, Footballguys Senior Football Staff Writer breaking it down: