Mammoth defensive tackle Shaun Rogers is apparently headed to New Orleans within he next 24 hours to visit with the Saints about the possibility of joining the team. Rogers has been around the league for quite a while, as this would be his 11th season at 31 years of age. To this point in his career he’s played with the Lions and Browns. The guy is a nose tackle in it’s purest form, and he’s respected as a premiere run stopper. The guy is BIG, listed at 6’4″ and 350lbs. 350 might be generous based on the weight he’s carried around at times. Right now the Saints’ primary defensive tackles afer Sedrick Ellis, Remi Ayodele and Anthony Hargrove, are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents.
So what does this visit mean?
I think it means the Saints have taken notice of Marshawn Lynch’s ridiculous run in the playoffs, and feel they need help containing the run. I support this greatly because with bruisers like LaGarrette Blount, Jonathan Stewart and Michael Turner in our division, we need a massive space eater in the trenches. Ayodele did a decent job of that this season, but Rogers is on a different level. He also gets decent penetration on passing downs up the middle for a big slow guy. All in all he would definitely represent an upgrade. That doesn’t mean Ayodele and Hargrove won’t come back, but I think the Saints would benefit greatly from competition. Hargrove is more of a pass rushing specialist, and the Saints didn’t really have anyone behind Ayodele that could be effective in run stopping scenarios.
My vibe: SIGN THE GUY! Remember there can’t be any official signings until there is a new CBA, but I think he Saints are being very smart going on with business as usual and laying groundwork for possible recruits. You don’t want to be caught by surprise if a CBA gets worked out and have to play catch up. Kudos Mickey Loomis on this one.
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