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The Saints gave Kaesviharn a 4 year, $10 million dollar contract. He is a playmaker that should make the defense better as a whole. He played in 14 games last season for the Bengals and he made 63 tackles, had 4 sacks, 6 interceptions, defensed 2 passes and forced a fumble. Another good move by the Saints.
The Saints have re-signed cornerback DeJuan Groce. Groce played in 12 games last season for the Saints and he made 16 tackles and forced a fumble. Groce is a decent back up corner and a solid special teams player so this was a decent move.
This was a good move for the Saints. If Eric Johnson stays healthy he will give Drew Brees another weapon in the passing game. He played in 13 games last season for the San Francisco 49ers (9 starts) and he caught 34 passes for 292 yards (8.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs. He has caught over 80 passes in a season (1 time) and he could become a big part of the Saints offense in 2007.
The Saints have brought in Brian Simmons as a free agent to battle with Mark Simoneau for the starting job at middle linebacker this season. Simmons played in 11 games last season for the Cincinnati Bengals and he made 60 tackles, had 2 interceptions, defensed 2 passes, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Simoneau better come ready to Training Camp because Simmons is a lot more athletic that he is. This was a good move by the Saints.
The Saints have re-signed OT Jon Stinchcomb and WR Terrnace Copper. Stinchcomb got a 2 year, $7 million dollar deal to start at tackle for the Saints. The 6’5″, 315 pound Stinchcomb started all 16 games last season in his first year as a starter and he did a great job both run and pass blocking. The Saints made a good decision in locking him up for a couple of years.
WR Terrance Copper was buried in Dallas, but Coach Payton brought him over and gave him a chance. Copper played well for the Saints last season as he played in 15 games (4 starts) and he caught 23 passes for 385 yards (16.7 avg) with 3 TD receptions. He also carried the ball 1 time for 8 yards. Copper returned 4 kick offs for 79 yards also. Look for him to get a chance to compete for a starting job unless the Saints bring in a big time veteran. It’s more likely that Copper will settle in as the #3 or #4 WR on the Saints next season.
The Saints have released WR Joe Horn and TE Ernie Conwell. Horn’s release was somewhat of a surprise as he’s been a solid player for the Saints. He missed a lot of time due to injury last season as he only played in 10 games (9 starts) and he caught 37 passes for 679 yards (18.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs. Ernie Conwell also missed a lot of time last season and was passed up on the depth chart by Billy Miller who was solid down the stretch for them. Conwell only played in 7 games last season (5 starts) and he caught 8 passes for 57 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD grab. Look for the Saints to try to re-sign Horn at a lower rate, but they will let Conwell walk.