As of Sunday, we have a wait of just 28 days until the New Orleans Saints season opener. The Saints will open 2026 on the road when they travel north to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Wearing No. 28 for the Saints this season will be Danny Stutsman, their second-year linebacker.
Stutsman was a fourth round pick by New Orleans in the 2026 NFL Draft. He showed a lot of promise, especially down the stretch of the year with more playing time. Stutsman is our most recent Saints Player of the Day, so here's a closer look at his brief career.
- Name (age): Danny Stutsman (23)
- Hometown: Winter Garden, Fla.
- Position: Linebacker
- Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 233 pounds
- College: Oklahoma Sooners
- Relative Athletic Score: 9.57
- Drafted: Round 4, 112 overall in 2025 (Saints)
- NFL career: 1 year
- 2026 salary cap hit: $1.27 million
A three-star recruit at Foundation Academy in Florida, Stutsman would commit to the University of Oklahoma and play in 10 games as a true freshman. He'd be entrenched in the starting lineup by 2022, when his 125 tackles led the Big 12. Stutsman would lead the Sooners in tackles for three consecutive seasons, with 37 of those stops for negative yardage. He'd also add 8 sacks, 4 fumbles forced, and three interceptions while returning one for a touchdown. Stutsman capped off his Sooners career as a consensus All-American in 2024.
New Orleans selected Stutsman with the 10th choice in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft. Stutsman is a bigger linebacker with a throwback physical style but underrated athleticism. He possesses outstanding instincts, particularly around the line of scrimmage, and a natural radar for the ball carrier. Stutsman showed the majority of those traits as a rookie.
Danny Stutsman appeared in all 17 games last year. He played 204 defensive snaps, just 19% of the total on that side of the ball. All of his defensive reps came after Week 7, as he saw an uptick in action down the stretch. Stutsman had 53 total tackles. His thunderous hits often resonated throughout the stadium.
Stutsman will almost certainly see more activity in 2026. The Saints lost longtime leader Demario Davis this offseason. While Kaden Elliss was brought in to replace him, Stutsman will be battling Pete Werner for the other spot. Already an intimidating hitter and good run defender, Stutsman has a strong shot at being an every down player if he can show strength against the pass.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Danny Stutsman is the Saints Player of Day 28