4 veteran free agents Saints should consider signing before Week 1

2. Russell Okung

A lot of what was said on Mitchell Schwartz’s entry pertains to Russell Okung as well. The long-time NFL tackle has been in the league since 2010 after going in the top 10 to the Seahawks in that year’s draft.

When Okung is healthy, he’s a solid left tackle and that’s proven by his two Pro Bowl appearances. The problem, however, is that Okung has struggled to stay healthy, appearing in just 13 games over the past two years.

With that in mind, the Saints wouldn’t sign Okung to be a starter. They have Armstead as their left tackle for at least one more season and unless he gets injured, there’s no reason to stray away from that. Okung could simply serve as the backup option should Armstead get injured and have to miss an extended period of time.

Okung isn’t the same player he once was and he wouldn’t have to be in New Orleans. Hopefully, they’d never end up needing him but if Armstead were to get injured, Okung would be a nice insurance policy.