The Saints will add a veteran defender to their front seven as training camp gets underway, as the club has agreed to terms LB/DE Matt Shaughnessy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Terms of the deal haven’t been announced, but it’s likely for the veteran’s minimum.
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New Orleans has signed a number of experienced options to aid a defense that ranked among the worst in league history in 2016, having inked deals with James Laurinaitis, Craig Robertson, Nick Fairley, and Nathan Stupar over the offseason. And more recently, the Saints have agreed to terms with veterans such as Roman Harper, Darryl Tapp, C.J. Wilson, and — on offense — Hakeem Nicks. Given New Orleans’ tight cap situation, the team is somewhat forced to rely on low-cost additions (specifically, minimum salary benefit deals) to augment their roster.
Shaughnessy, 29, didn’t appear in the NFL last season after spending the first six years of his career with the Raiders and Cardinals. In 75 career games (48 starts), Shaughnessy has picked up 144 tackles, 18.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles. The Saints have already gotten an up-close look at the veteran edge defender, having auditioned him in both May and June.
In other Saints news, the team worked out free agent cornerback Kevin White today, reports Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. White, an undrafted free agent in 2015, signed with the Falcons last summer but didn’t make Atlanta’s final roster.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.