Saints acquire former third-round pick in a trade that can’t backfire for either team involved
The deal between New Orleans and Jacksonville doesn’t involve any risk.
The New Orleans Saints have made a notable move in the trenches. On Sunday evening, reports revealed that the Saints had made a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who they played against earlier in the day. The deal made sense for both sides.
Saints trade for center Luke Fortner
New Orleans is adding depth to the interior of their offensive line in Fortner. The former third-round selection has amassed a lot of NFL experience so far in his career, with 34 starts. He’s appeared in 51 NFL games overall, too.
Fun note: Fortner appeared in 20 snaps against the Saints in Sunday’s preseason game and allowed no pressures, according to Ross Jackson.
The Saints lost backup center Will Clapp earlier in the preseason due to injury. He won’t play this season. That loss opened up the door for a move like this. I would expect to see plenty of Fortner next weekend in New Orleans’ final preseason game. Kellen Moore will need to quickly try to gauge who his best interior depth options are for this season.
Luke Fortner gives the Saints a veteran backup center with Will Clapp done for the season. Not completely sure what that means for Torricelli Simpkins, but IMO he still has a good shot at making the roster — Matthew Paras
Roster bubble for everyone involved
This is a no risk deal for both the Saints and Jaguars to me. Neither player is an expected starter and both create more depth at positions of need for each team. Recent injuries have left the Saints a bit thin along their offensive line, looking for NFL experience. For the Jags, Saunders can compete for the backup nose tackle job behind DaVon Hamilton.
Both of these players were on the roster bubble for each of their previous teams, respectively. The Saints saw young DT Khristian Boyd step up this offseason, and Saunders was never a great fit for Brandon Staley’s scheme. Fortner’s struggles over the past couple of years for Jacksonville has pushed him down the depth chart a bit. He was not a lock to make the Week 1 roster for the Jags, creating a chance for them to move him in this deal.
Both teams could roster their new additions, and if they don’t? They traded away a player that they probably would not have kept for their active roster for Week 1 and beyond, anyway. No harm – no foul.
New Orleans Saints News
Khalen Saunders impressed the Jaguars so much that the Saints wasted no time giving them what they wanted
New Orleans has made a deal to send away a veteran defensive player. Check out the details.
