METAIRIE, La. ― Jo-Lonn Dunbar spent the Saints’ four preseason games backing up Jonathan Casillas and Scott Shanle at outside linebacker.
He’ll likely start the season Thursday night on the field instead thanks to Casillas’ injury in New Orleans’ final preseason game.
And there’s not a guy in his position group who doesn’t think he’ll be able to stand up to the challenge when the Saints host Minnesota on Thursday in the season opener.
“When you look at over the past couple of years a guy who has stepped in for a lot of people is Jo-Lonn Dunbar and he has done a nice job,” Scott Shanle said. “He has played in a few games and played well. When you look at it in that standpoint, he’s a guy that you have a lot of faith and trust in.”
Dunbar, a three-year veteran who was picked up by the Saints as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Boston College, has started five games in his career, including three in 2009. He was put on IR with a right hamstring injury in early December.
He worked with the first-team defense during Sunday’s practice as the No. 1 strongside, or SAM, linebacker. Shanle moved back to weakside, or Will, linebacker after spending much of preseason at strongside.
For his part, Dunbar said he’s ready to step into the first-team role.
“You always have to be on the ready no matter who you are at any position,” Dunbar said. “If you’re in the role to start, you have to be ready. If you’re in the role to backup, you’ve got to be ready.
“This team is full of guys who can play so that’s what we need to do.”
Dunbar led the team with 21 tackles and had a pass defensed this preseason.
Meanwhile, Casillas, who Dunbar is replacing, had 18 tackles in the preseason, including a team-high 16 solos. He had a sack and one quarterback hurry.
Casillas’ specific injury was a Lisfranc fracture, a fissure in the midfoot. According to an article on emedicine.com, “This is the only ligamentous support between first and second ray at midfoot level. Lisfranc joint injuries are rare, complex, and often misdiagnosed or inadequately treated.”
Dunbar began preseason competing with Casillas in a battle for the No. 1 Sam spot. However, after a strong performance against the Patriots, Casillas became the first-team Will linebacker, moving Shanle to Sam.
And that’s one of the advantages the Saints have in this situation – all of their outside linebackers learn both positions.
“It helps us to not only be able to have that versatility at the linebacker position, it gives Gregg the option to call different defenses and it allows him to not have his hands strapped behind his back saying he can’t call this because so and so isn’t in.”
“Guys go out and guys got to step in,” linebacker Marvin Mitchell said. “These guys here, a lot of these guys feel comfortable with Jo-D coming in. We feel comfortable with him going in there at Sam.”
