Black & Gold Xs & Os: Darren Sharper's Return to New Orleans an Added Bonus

Remember when you were a little kid and you would always ask to go to McDonald's with your mother, or for a new toy, or to be allowed to stay up an extra half hour to watch your favorite show.

Even in your youth, you knew deep down eating at McDonald's, having a new toy, or watching your favorite show weren't really going to make you any happier than you already were. In the long run, you are not a more fulfilled person because of any of these "accomplishments."

Today, you are who you are, because of what is deep down inside of your soul. Your joy comes from that.

The same is true of the makeup of the Saints' defensive depth chart.

Darren Sharper's re-signing is merely icing on the cake. It's being able to stay up late on a school night, or eating at McDonald's, or getting a brand new toy.

The Saints didn't need to re-sign Sharper. They could've easily had an effective secondary with Usama Young, Chip Vaughn, and/or Malcolm Jenkins patrolling center field.

With the drafting of Patrick Robinson, Malcolm Jenkins seemed destined for free safety.

Now Jenkins can remain at corner, in what promises to be the deepest and most versatile cornerback group in all of football. Jenkins can line up anywhere on the field, cover man-to-man, play zone, and blitz from any spot on the field.

Add to that Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer, both of whom proved to be wizards of man-to-man coverage a season ago. And don't forget about veteran Randall Gay, who is still one of the elite nickelbacks in all of football.

With that in mind, when will the first-round pick Robinson get on the field? Is he the dime back? Is he merely an insurance policy against the annual rash of injuries the Saints face with their corners?

And where do Usama Young and Chip Vaughn fit into the depth chart? Are they just special teams guys? Heck, is there even room for all these guys in the secondary meeting room at the Saints' practice facility?

My first guess is Jenkins will play some kind of hybrid role. He'll be a regular in all nickel packages, but will float all over the field. Robinson may join him there. Gay figures to be a regular in these packages as well.

What this leads me to believe is that Roman Harper may actually come off the field in nickel packages, because he is not as trustworthy in passing situations. Then again that would make the Saints more predictable in the types of coverages they would play.

Vaughn and Young will probably battle each other for a roster spot. Young could be at the end of his developmental rope in black and gold, and it seems almost certain Sean Payton and company would give the nod to the younger Vaughn.

The Saints now have four guys who can play the same position, and in my opinion there is really nothing to distinguish between any of them, with Sharper coming off an injury and a 2009 season that might be more of a fluke than a reality.

But the truth is I have no idea what to expect from this incredibly deep, stable of defensive backs.

What I do know is Darren Sharper's re-signing doesn't really make them any better, it just adds to any already strong core.