One of the moves the New Orleans Saints made to make up for losing David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle was signing defensive tackle Khalen Saunders to a three-year deal for $14.5 million earlier this week. 

Not only does this move give the Saints much-needed muscle on the interior of their defensive line, but it reunites Saunders with an old teammate, safety Tyrann Mathieu from their days with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

"Me and him actually went out to dinner last night and, you know, caught up and stuff like that. I'm happy to be back with him, man," said Saunders on Friday. "He's a real prevalent figure in my career.

"I came in as a rookie, and he was there, he was vet, he was a vocal leader. So, I'll never forget that. I'm happy to be back with him, man. And it's crazy, it's a little different this time because you know, I'm not a rookie no more, you know that I mean? So, I hope I can add to him and I hope I can add to that leadership with him."

That rookie year for Saunders was in 2019 when he was a rotational piece that played in 12 games with four starts and logged 22 tackles and a sack. Meanwhile, Mathieu was in his seventh season and registered 75 tackles, four interceptions, 12 passes defended, and two sacks which led to a first-team All-Pro selection. 

Saunders had his best year in the NFL last season with career highs in tackles with 48 tackles and sacks with 3.5 and won his second Super Bowl with Kansas City.

The former third-round pick played out his rookie deal and was seeking a new team this off-season, and he instructed his agents to find the best opportunity for him.

That word, opportunity, means a lot to Saunders, which he mentioned in his opening press conference with the Saints. 

"That's a word you guys will hear me use a lot throughout while I'm here, is just opportunity," Saunders said. "I feel like that's one of the things that people kind of overlook. 

"A lot of people like to compare opportunities to each other and stuff like that and that's not the type of person I am. I'm just, all about my opportunity and what I get to do with it."

Well, now Saunders has a shot to make his name even bigger in New Orleans, and possibly get his third ring in the process.