METAIRIE, La. -- The vibe is unmistakable.

While it's natural to assume the New Orleans Saints' defense might take a step back because of some key players they lost this offseason, there seems to be no such level of concern inside the building.

Consider:

• Veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins, who has been part of Super Bowl winners in New Orleans and Philadelphia, said last week, “If I think back over my career, it’s been hard to think of years where I’ve been this confident in the defense this early in a training camp.”

• The Saints’ starting unit has been downright dominant in the first two preseason games. (It held the Jacksonville Jaguars to one first down over their first four drives Monday and the Baltimore Ravens to zero first downs over their first four drives a week earlier.)

• Linebacker Demario Davis was practically giddy the other day when dropping a reference to the 21-year-old comedy ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’ while describing his bond with fellow linebacker Kwon Alexander, who recently re-signed with the Saints after recovering from a torn Achilles.

“It’s kind of like, what was that one movie where the guy said, ‘What does mine say? Dude! What does mine say? Sweet! What does yours say? Dude!’” Davis said to a room filled with stunned laughter. “We just keep one-upping each other, and it kind of fuels the fire. So I feel bad for other offenses.”

Davis and Jenkins both gave a similar reason for why they’re still feeling so “sweet” about a defense that ranked among the top five in the NFL in yards and points allowed last season -- despite losing former starters such as cornerback Janoris Jenkins, end Trey Hendrickson, linebacker Alex Anzalone and tackles Malcom Brown and Sheldon Rankins in a salary-cap purge.

“The leadership on the defense is still very much intact. The standard and our mentality as far as where we’re trying to go, what we’re trying to accomplish,” Jenkins said of a unit featuring himself, Davis, Alexander, defensive linemen Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport and David Onyemata, and defensive backs Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Williams and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

“You know, it’s interesting that people just assume for whatever reason that you’re gonna lose a step. It’s kind of the same as me being 32 years old and people wondering, ‘When is he gonna lose a step?’ Just look at the numbers -- they keep going up, not down,” said Davis, who was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and a second-teamer in 2020. “I think we did a good job of retaining, except for maybe a few, guys that kind of dictate the culture of our defense.

“Like, I’m impressed when I hear different guys in the locker room say, ‘Man, it’s a different level of intensity here.’ Yeah, it’s supposed to be. That’s our culture, that’s how we work.”

Davis said that should increase now that former Saints quarterback Drew Brees has retired and the defense is more of the team’s identity. It has quietly been trending in that direction while New Orleans has won four straight NFC South titles since 2017, with the NFL’s best run defense over that span.

“That’s our goal is to be the best. We’re gonna go for it -- and we need to,” Davis said. “That’s our mentality now, which is a little bit different than when I came in. It [used to be] like, ‘Let us get one or two more stops, and our offense will come in and bring it home.’”

The fiery Gardner-Johnson feels the same. After the Saints shut down Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Gardner-Johnson boasted, “The No. 1 draft pick went three-and-out like four times. So ... welcome.”

And when told that Jenkins and Davis were extremely confident about the defense, Gardner-Johnson replied, “I’m cocky about it. I feel like we could be the No. 1 defense in the league.”

Of course there are questions. Here’s a status check on the biggest ones:

Cornerback

Coach Sean Payton has consistently mentioned the No. 2 outside cornerback spot as the biggest area of concern on the roster -- dating back to when New Orleans tried to trade up nearly 20 spots in the draft to select Jaycee Horn or Pat Surtain II. And it didn’t help when starting candidate Patrick Robinson decided to retire early in camp. It’s still possible the Saints will look for an upgrade. But optimism has grown throughout the summer that either veteran Ken Crawley or rookie third-round pick Paulson Adebo can handle the role.

Crawley and Adebo have looked terrific throughout practices and games -- despite the fact Crawley’s career was derailed by inconsistency in recent years and Adebo opted out of his 2020 season at Stanford.

However, Crawley suffered a minor injury Monday that leaves his status unclear for Week 1. And some turbulence has to be expected for both -- especially since offenses will ruthlessly test them. (And, oh, by the way, reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will provide that first test in Week 1.)

Defensive tackle

Unfortunately this position keeps getting more problematic. First Onyemata was suspended for six games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Then third-year pro Jalen Dalton, who appeared to be the leading contender to replace Onyemata, suffered a season-ending triceps tear Monday.

The Saints will likely look to add reinforcements. But the good news is the defensive end position appears well stocked and they have always done a ton of rotating at defensive tackle anyway. They should be able to stay afloat with Malcolm Roach, Shy Tuttle and others.

Defensive end

Another position that has been trending up. Davenport has looked outstanding all summer and seems poised for his long-awaited breakout if he can stay healthy. Rookie first-round pick Payton Turner has been dealing with a minor injury for more than two weeks, but he showed promise before that as a versatile rotation option. And backup ends Carl Granderson and Tanoh Kpassagnon should provide good depth.

Linebacker

This has been one of the most promising developments of the summer. Alexander has looked surprisingly good in his quick return from the December injury, while young linebackers Zack Baun, Kaden Elliss, Andrew Dowell and Wynton McManis have all shown breakthrough potential. Rookie second-round pick Pete Werner has also shown promise. Suddenly one of the team’s biggest questions has turned into one of its deepest positions.