In addition to the flurry of moves adding Ginn, Klein and Warford today, the Saints retained one of their own, too, in Nick Fairley. He signed a 4 year deal worth almost $30 million. The quote I keep using was that “the Saints defense can’t afford to go backwards” as the reason for keeping him. I’ve said it over and over from podcasts to blog posts to radio shows. Fairley was easily one of the best assets on a poor but improving defense. The arrow is finally pointing up and losing Fairley would have made it that much harder to maintain the positive momentum. I don’t care about the possibility of regression, or him getting “fat and happy”. The alternative is that he’s not on the roster.
And now, the Saints are completely stacked on the interior. Think about the depth. You’ve got Fairley paired with Sheldon Rankins which is absolutely terrifying on passing downs. You’ve got a guy that played well enough to start in Tyeler Davison – and I still feel great about him on running downs. Then you’ve got a promising and developing young prospect in David Onyemata. Four players deep allows for a heavier rotation to keep guys fresh and the ability to absorb injuries if they happen.
The roster still has holes, but defensive tackle is definitely not one of them.
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