Brandon Browner Gives Saints Desperately Needed Leadership and Toughness

There was a problem with the New Orleans Saints long before a salary-cap-induced inferno led to tight end Jimmy Graham getting traded. It was a critical and perhaps fatal flaw that predated a time when general manager Mickey Loomis made children cry.

They lacked defensive toughness and helmet-smashing fury. They lacked physicality, especially in the secondary where yards continually accumulated in 2014, making shootouts necessary.

They lacked someone like cornerback Brandon Browner. About that…

Browner’s average annual salary under his new contract with the Saints is lower than what the Seattle Seahawks gave Cary Williams, and he was secured for far less guaranteed cash than the $25 million the Philadelphia Eagles handed to Byron Maxwell.

Browner arguably wasn’t the best remaining cornerback in an increasingly shallow free-agent pool at the position, depending on how highly you value Tramon Williams. But he was the best cornerback for the Saints as they searched for some punch in their secondary.

I don’t mean that literally, though Browner can provide very real punch too, as he did during training camp in 2014 with the New England Patriots. He shoved wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins to the ground after the two were matched up one-on-one. When Patriots receivers coach Chad O’Shea took exception, the two exchanged heated words.

“I need to be liked by my teammates,” Browner told Comcast New England’s Phil Perry after the camp scuffle. “Those are the guys I'm going go to war with. But at the same time, I'm going to be aggressive with those guys. It's going to make those guys better. And I hope they bring the same fire back at me."

Let’s repeat part of that, and this time pretend you’re a teammate seeing or hearing these words from a particularly fiery veteran: "I'm going to be aggressive with those guys. It's going to make those guys better."

You can’t quantify the unquantifiable, which is why vague variables like toughness and leadership are sometimes given only passing thought as we assess each offseason move. Browner offers plenty of each with an approach to the game that blends intimidation with constant aggression.

He straddles that line and isn't afraid to mash heads and/or grills. Right, Richard Sherman?

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

A core team leader left the Saints when Graham departed, and the remodeling this offseason has also included cutting middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. He posted the NFL's fourth most tackles in 2014 with 144.

The Saints were thirsting for an infusion of what Browner brings: Boom-lowering physicality and (mostly) controlled chaos. The need to replenish team-wide bite both mentally and physically was clear.

The Browner package includes a lot of muscle. He’s one of the league’s largest cornerbacks, standing 6’4” and weighing 221 pounds, which will be critical in a division where defending equally massive wide receivers is now part of his job description.

The Saints secondary has to contend with the Atlanta Falcons' Julio Jones, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson and the Carolina Panthers' Kelvin Benjamin twice each season. Jones left some particularly black and blue marks in 2014, posting 223 receiving yards over his two games against the Saints on 14 receptions.

However, some caution comes as a result of Browner's bulk. As Bleacher Report analyst Chris Simms notes, his hip movement often isn't fluid enough to keep up with the likes of Jones, and he struggles to cut quickly.

Those weaknesses can make the back-to-back Super Bowl champion a "walking pass-interference call." 

Beyond Browner’s physical style, the Saints secondary needed something simple on a fundamental level: remotely respectable play from pretty much anyone.

In 2013 the Saints signed Keenan Lewis as a free agent to be their top cornerback. He slid into that role just fine, allowing an opposing passer rating in coverage of only 66.6, according to Pro Football Focus.

Then in 2014 he joined his fellow Saints cornerbacks with a nice swinging-door imitation.

Cornerback	Times targeted	QB rating allowed
Keenan Lewis	91	97.9
Corey White	85	94.4
Patrick Robinson	51	75.4
Brian Dixon	19	142.5
Terrence Frederick	16	140.1

Patrick Robinson is the exception to the norm there and was easily the team’s best cornerback while recording 11 passes defensed and two interceptions.

But he’s a free agent now, which led the Saints to one of many difficult decisions. They could either dedicate their limited funds (still only $4.4 million in cap room, per Over the Cap) to the inconsistent Robinson who tore his patellar tendon in 2013 or reel in the physically threatening Browner.

Loomis made the right decision, and it was easy.

Overall there was a strong stench attached to the Saints pass defense in 2014. It allowed 251.2 passing yards per game (25th), 7.7 yards per pass attempt (tied for 25th), 26 touchdowns through the air (tied for 17th), a passer rating of 92.9 (24th) and it generated only 12 interceptions (tied for 21st).

Browner alone won’t fix those deep-rooted problems. Safety Kenny Vaccaro sputtered and was eventually benched during his second season, and without a turnaround Lewis may be quickly heading toward the downslope of his career.

But signing Browner is a fine start amid an offseason of destruction in New Orleans. The Saints needed a stable presence, and they needed someone to lead by firmly establishing a physical tone.

Browner has done that before, and he can do it again.

Sean Tomlinson is an NFL Analyst for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.