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In the NFL there is a difference between being hurt and being injured.
After setting an NFL record for the worst pass defense in 2014 under then defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the New Orleans Saints were desperate for help at the CB position. They ended up drafting P.J. Williams and Damian Swann along with the signing of Brandon Browner. Part of that revamp also saw them bring in the little known CFL product Delvin Breaux.
Breaux’s story was inspiring, to say the least. Due to breaking his neck as a Senior in High School at McDonogh 35, the former LSU recruit took the long route to the NFL before seeing his dreams manifest after a tryout with the New Orleans Saints.
"His workout was that impressive," Payton said. "As good a corner workout as I've seen in a long time."
The New Orleans native, following ringing endorsements from Sean Payton and others, went on to secure a starting spot opposite Brandon Browner in the secondary and was one of the few bright spots for a slightly less terrible Saints pass defense in 2015.
Big things were expected of Breaux in his 2nd year with the Saints, but unfortunately a broken fibula derailed Act II before it got started.
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Breaux managed to return later in the season, but he never quite looked the same and finished it out on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury. Finally healthy and touting his grueling workouts this summer, it appeared as though Breaux was back on track to maybe being a Pro Bowl corner for the New Orleans Saints in 2017. Camp however started out just OK for the 3rd year CB, and then he went down with an unspecified injury that was later clarified to be a bone bruise. A lack of availability, commitment, and toughness has appeared to wear thin on the organization as we found out early this morning from Nick Underhill that the Saints are shopping him.
The Saints are shopping Delvin Breaux, per source. They’re frustrated with his injury history over the last three years.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) August 14, 2017
Listen,
The biggest thing for a CB in the NFL is confidence and a short memory. Breaux has had a tendency to let one bad play snowball into another (the Bucs Game), and when he does his game dips substantially. He doesn’t get his head turned around nearly enough on deep balls, and was practically owned by Corey Fuller (WR Battling for the 5th spot on the depth chart) at one point during training camp. Want to know an even bigger issue? He’s already 27 years old (will be 28 in October), and has limited experience as an NFL CB which means his ceiling is quickly shrinking.
The other CBs on the roster outside of Sterling Moore are all 25 and under. For comparison’s sake, Sterling Moore is 4 months younger and has played in 69 games. Breaux, on the other hand, has only played in 24 games, and experience matters. His best year he gave up double-digit TDs. Just let that sink in for a moment. Double-digit TDs with no defensive scores to balance that out. That means roughly 60 points given up on defense were attributed to him. Compound all of that with what appears to be a “soft” mentality that has put his availability in question early in camp when he should be practicing, and I think the Saints are well within their realm to move on.
Could the Saints be trying to light a fire under #40? Absolutely, but when SP wanted to light a fire under Brandon Coleman last year, he basically called him out in a media conference by saying he was having a pedestrian camp. Tossing a bone to the media that the front office is shopping Breaux seems like overkill if motivation was the objective. The Saints are partaking in business talks at the moment, and that to me suggests the motivational tactics have already been exhausted, and the Breaux Show might soon be subject to a curtain call.