Khalen Saunders got real familiar with his new teammates during the New Orleans Saints second preseason game. The Saints traded the defensive tackle to the Jacksonville Jaguars hours after the two team faced off in a tie, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The Saints also get center Luke Fortner in return.
Guess Liam Cohen liked what he saw from the veteran in limited action. The timing of this deal caught everyone off guard, even Saunders. His reaction on social media pretty much summed up what everyone else was thinking, minus the prayer hands. It does make you wonder how fast the deal came together.
Saunders came into the Caesars Superdome on the New Orleans Saints bus, and he probably just missed the Jaguars plane back to Florida. No one saw it coming, but the defensive line room started to become a claustrophobic person's worst nightmare this offseason.
Khalen Saunders' fit with the Saints was questionable
There was a thought Saunders would make the roster, but that was mostly because he had been with the team for a couple of years now. Sometimes that can be enough when no one else jumps up and snatches your spot. With a little deeper inspection, this trade makes a lot of sense
The defensive tackle isn't a nose tackle. Though it's unclear how much base defense Brandon Staley will play, Saunders' lack of fit in base defense was an eyebrow raiser. He isn't a nose tackle, and he also doesn't feel like 3-4 defensive end. Also, Saunders wasn't a great run defender, and that's an area of the game the Saints need to bolster in the upcoming season.
It'll be interesting to see how many interior defensive linemen the Saints keep. Bryan Bresee, Davon Godchaux, Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton feel like your locks at the position. The door is now open for a player like Khristian Boyd, who is a true nose tackle. John Ridgeway, Jonathan Bullard and Jonah Williams will likely be the trio fighting for one of those final spots.