There are three Elliss brothers currently playing in the NFL, and all three are excellent at generating pressure on the quarterback. Two of the brothers, Kaden (Saints) and Christian (Patriots), are off-ball linebackers; Jonah (Broncos) mainly plays on the edge.
There’s something in the water at the Elliss household.
Last spring, one of the best free-agent pickups on defense was Kaden's move from the Atlanta Falcons to the New Orleans Saints, returning to the team that drafted him in 2019. In just two weeks, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has weaponized one of the NFL’s best hybrid off-ball LBs.
Kaden is unique in how he aligns and attacks the offense, which is why he is a perfect fit in New Orleans. Last season, the Falcons had Kaden align in the B-gap on 34 of his rushes, the most in the NFL and ten more than Demario Davis, who became an unrestricted free agent after eight seasons as a Saint.
The Falcons had Kaden rush the passer on 174 snaps in 2025, ranking fourth among LBs, behind hybrids Frankie Luvu (Commanders), Derrick Barnes (Lions), and Eric Wilson (Vikings). Only Wilson was used in a similar fashion, and his volume is mostly due to Brian Flores’s blitz-centric style.
Luvu and Barnes are hybrid “Edges” who line up as de facto defensive linemen when they are not off the ball. Kaden stands out because he rushes over the Guard on most of his snaps, with just 28 total rushes from the Edge position in ‘25, easily doubling Wilson, who had only 12 snaps at 9-technique and none over a TE.
Though Kaden doesn’t put up elite sack numbers (finishing with 3.5 last season), he is one of the best pass-rushing LBs in terms of creating pressure and generating quarterback “hits.” Last season he led all LBs in “Beaten Defender” (BD) reps (one-on-one “win”) and was second in QB Hurries.
Staley, with Davis exiting and needing a hybrid off-ball blitzer, stayed in the division and plucked Kaden back from the Falcons. Last season, the Saints had the eighth-highest Blitz Rate along with the fourth-highest simulated pressure rate.
In New Orleans 3-4 defense, the addition of Elliss amplifies the already excellent rushes of Edges, Carl Granderson and Chase Young. The move also simplifies Pete Werner's role, allowing him to move to the off-ball Mike position, where he’s best suited to play.
Though the season is only two weeks old, Staley has already shown the Elliss’s uniqueness in generating pressure. Elliss is currently tied with Minnesota’s Blake Cashman for total pressures (6) and has the third-best Pressure Rate (31.6%). Cashman and Wilson both have over 30 pass rushes, compared with Elliss’s 19.
Currently, he’s also:
4th-best Win% (21%)
4th in PFF’s Pass Rush Production (15.8)
The Saints currently have the 17th-ranked Blitz Rate in 2026 (29.6%), with Elliss as the main weapon. Against Baltimore and Lamar Jackson, Kaden’s utility was on full display.
Brandon Staley comes from the Fangio tree, but unlike others in the system, the 2025 Saints leaned heavily on their Base defense (3-4). Last season, New Orleans was in Base on 36% of its plays, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL, and they are hovering near that mark (37%) through two weeks in 2026.
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