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Who’s better?
That question is asked, and those debates happen every day amongst sports fans.
Trying to compare players of a common position and era are tough enough. Once you introduce grouping all positions together, regardless of when they played, what the talent pool was or what the rules were during their NFL careers, the answers get arbitrary.
We combined four sources to come up with our list of the Top-100 New Orleans Saints players of all time. Rankings for all players were averages comprised of contributions from pro-football-reference.com (Twitter: @pfref), Jeremy Trottier of the canalstreetchronicles.com (Twitter @ClutchWDN), Billy Gunn of the ‘Taking the Over with Billy Gunn’ Podcast (Twitter & Instagram: @takingtheover) and John Butler of canalstreetchronicles.com and the Saintjohnbutler YouTube channel (Twitter & Instagram: @Saintjohnbutler).
This is our list of New Orleans Saints 40-31:
40: Jon Stinchcomb, T (2003-2010)
Stinchcomb played his entire NFL career in New Orleans. The former 2nd round pick played his best football during the 2009 season, earning both Pro Bowl honors and a Super Bowl ring. Stinchcomb was also named the Saints 2008 Man of the Year. After missing the 2005 season, “Stinch” was a model of consistency, starting every game for the next 5 seasons.
39: Terron Armstead, T (2013-2021)
An incredible value as a 3rd round draft choice by the Saints, Armstead developed into one of the best tackles in the league. Armstead put together back-to-back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in ’18-20 and was an All Pro in that 2018 campaign. Armstead was responsible to protect the blind side of Drew Brees during some of his most productive seasons.
38: Bruce Clark, DE (1982-1988)
The fourth overall selection by Green Bay in 1980, Clark refused to play for the Packers. After two seasons in the CFL, Clark found his way to New Orleans. Clark was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team in 1982 and finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He was also a Pro Bowler in ’84, where he finished the season with 10.5 sacks on the season and 39.5 on his career.
37: Michael Thomas, WR (2016-Present)
Another 2nd round selection by the Saints, Thomas has been a generational talent thus far in his young career. Thomas has already accumulated a laundry list of awards in his career including All Pro awards, Pro Bowls, NFL Offensive Player of the Year and has been an NFL receptions leader and an NFL receiving yardage leader. Most notably, Thomas holds the NFL record for most receptions in a season (149).
36: Demario Davis, LB (2018-Present)
Drafted by the New York Jets in 2012, Davis quickly earned a reputation for being a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who developed into a leader on the field. Those attributes are what attracted the Saints to him, who landed the then unrestricted free agent. Davis has since become a defensive leader in New Orleans and has earned All-Pro honors three times since his arrival. Davis has over 1,000 tackles in his career thus far.
35: La’Roi Glover, DT (1997-2001)
A Saints’ Hall of Famer, Glover was an absolute menace to opposing offenses. Glover has a myriad of Pro Bowls, All-Pro awards, NFL All-Decade team of 2000’s, and led the NFL in sacks in 2000 with 17. Glover was also a Saints Man of the Year and Unsung Hero award winner. Glover finished his career with a gaudy 83.5 sacks. Glover was as good an interior defensive lineman as ever suited up for the Saints.
34: Charles Grant, DE (2002-2009)
Teammate Chris Reis called him the funniest player on the Super Bowl roster. But Grant was known for much more than the laughs. The first-round selection by the Saints in 2002, Grant accumulated 430 tackles and 47 sacks in his career. Grant finished his playing days in 2009, winning his first and only Super Bowl before finishing his career elsewhere.
33: Jerry Fontenot, C (1997-2003)
A local product (born and raised in Lafayette), Fontenot was picked in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft by the Bears in 1989. After 8 years in Chicago, Fontenot played 7 in New Orleans. All Fontenot did was show up and do his job well, starting every game for 12 straight seasons.
32: Ryan Ramczyk, T (2017-Present)
The fourth and final active player of this bunch, Ramczyk has been nothing short of remarkable in his young career. In his 4 seasons, Ramczyk was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team in 2017 and was named an All-Pro 2018-2020. Ramczyk has quickly become one of the best right tackles in the NFL.
31: Pierre Thomas, RB (2007-2014)
Still considered one of the greatest undrafted Saints in team history, Thomas played his way into the Saints’ Hall of Fame. Incredibly elusive and a master of the screen game, Thomas was invaluable in big spots. Thomas was productive as a runner, receiver and occasionally as a returner. Thomas also had the go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl XLIV.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of the top-100 list.
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