Three XFL players that could sign with the New Orleans Saints
By Sean Nief
Safety: Derron Smith
One of the largest acquisitions of the Saints offseason so far has been bringing Malcolm Jenkins back to New Orleans after multiple seasons spent in Philadelphia. Jenkins has proven himself to be great in coverage and to have a nose for hard hits when he is put in one on one tackling situations.
However, while Jenkins is bound to boost the play at the safety position and provide some solid tackling, the team also lost Vonn Bell.
Bell just had his best season with the Saints and led the team in fumble recoveries, while also being one of the team’s leaders in tackles. The loss of his tackling could be detrimental to the team if he can’t be replaced.
More from Who Dat Dish
- Are the Saints playoff contenders or pretenders in 2022?
- 3 takeaways from Saints unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason opener
- Saints 2022 Training Camp: Top 5 takeaways from Day 13
- 3 things to know about new Saints QB K.J. Costello
- Kirk Merritt could be a difficult player for the Saints to cut
This is where a player like Derron Smith can make a nice addition to the team. Smith was a sixth-round pick by the Bengals back in 2015, but he didn’t pan out with the organization.
After departing from the NFL, Smith moved on to join the AAF as a member of the San Antonio Commodores. Smith led the team in tackles and has continued consistent play with the Dallas Renegades.
Safety Marcus Williams has had some inconsistent play over the past few seasons, and his weaknesses were exploited in 2019.
Williams allowed nearly 62 percent of the passes thrown towards his coverage to be completed and missed 14 percent of the tackles he attempted. While Smith does not have the size of Williams, he rarely misses tackles and has a great upside as a speedy coverage man.
Even if Smith doesn’t make the final roster, he could introduce an element of competition to the secondary and force Williams to be a sharper player. Smith definitely has potential, and New Orleans has a history of bringing out the best in their players.
This could be the fit that both sides are looking for.