Jairus Byrd's Season-Ending Injury Isn't Death Blow for Saints Defense

The New Orleans Saints' addition of All-Pro safety Jairus Byrd during free agency was a luxury. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan already proved he could put together a solid defense without Byrd roaming the back line of the defense.

Saints head coach coach Sean Payton informed the media Thursday, via NOLA.com's Evan Woodbery, that Byrd is done for the season due to a torn lateral meniscus in his knee. 

The injury apparently occurred during a non-contact drill during Thursday's practice. 

Over his career, Byrd was named to the Pro Bowl and NFL's All-Pro team three times. The safety also led the NFL is interceptions twice during the previous five seasons. The sixth-year veteran is generally considered one of the top two free safeties in the NFL, alongside the Seattle Seahawks' Earl Thomas. 

The Saints signed Byrd to a six-year, $54 million deal March 12, according to Spotrac.com. 

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"We think that his play-making abilities will be an excellent fit with what we are trying to accomplish with our defense and in our secondary," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said after the deal was completed, per ESPN.com.

Expectations ran wild after the addition of Byrd. The Saints already improved to the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL during Ryan's first year with the organization. During the 2012 campaign, the Saints set an NFL record with most yards given up in a season. The team particularly improved along its secondary and finished with the second-rated pass defense. Byrd was going to serve as Ryan's new ace in the hole.

But the same level of impact seen from Byrd earlier in his career wasn't on display during the first four games this season. Overall, Byrd's presence was nonexistent at times. 

Byrd managed 22 total tackles and one forced fumble, which came early in the first game against the Atlanta Falcons. Otherwise, the veteran safety struggled at points, and he was coming off his worst game of the season after missing three tackles against the Dallas Cowboys. 

What Byrd actually provided early this season was flexibility within Ryan's scheme. Byrd is one the NFL's premier coverage safeties, which allows second-year safety Kenny Vaccaro to roam all over the field. He also allowed Ryan to use three-safety sets with veteran Rafael Bush in a nickel role. Bush will now replace Byrd, according to Woodbery. 

The switch isn't as big of a drop-off as it would initially appear. Bush has been a superior run defender this season, and Ryan can still vary Vaccaro's role by having him playing more free safety. 

Bush already made the most of his opportunities this season. The fifth-year safety has five less tackles than Byrd, while only being on the field a third of the time. 

After all, this same defense was able to play as well as it did last year without a safety the caliber of Byrd. Vaccaro was a rookie, while veteran Malcolm Jenkins played the entire season with a negative grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Bush, on the other hand, played the third-most snaps at safety last year and received a positive grade. 

Ryan has previously shown he can adjust his scheme to the talent on the field. Over the past 20 games, Bush proved that he's not a liability when called upon to perform. 

There is also a far more cynical view of Byrd's injury:  How much worse will the Saints actually be without him?

The Saints defense wasn't exactly playing at a high level with the former All-Pro starting. The unit is currently 29th in the NFL in total defense and surrenders 396 yards per game. The secondary hasn't played nearly to the level it did last year. Even with Byrd in the lineup, the Saints are 28th in pass defense and give up 78 more yards per game this season. 

No one can truly replace the talent Byrd brings to a defense, but his play hasn't warranted an "abandon all ships" mentality now that he's been ruled out for the season. 

Players	Snaps	Overall	Pass defense	Run defense
Jairus Byrd	272	-3.3	0.1	-3.7
Kenny Vaccaro	274	-8.5	-6.7	-1.7
Rafael Bush	91	-0.1	-1.4	1.3

The Saints defense, meanwhile, has an opportunity in front of it to improve its lackluster play. New Orleans hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday before the team enters its bye week. A win with improved play from the defensive side of the football will build momentum for the team going into Week 7 even without Byrd in the lineup. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.