In surprising news, the Saints signed ten-year veteran and three time Pro-Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister.
McAlister has previously played his entire NFL career in Baltimore. ESPN's John Clayton is responsible for breaking the story first, and not any of our fine local journalists right here in New Orleans who cover the team on a daily basis. Surprised?
Jeff Duncan of the Times-Pic, however, did say on Twitter that he believes Chase Daniel will be released to make room for the new cornerback.
Have heard they released Chase Daniel. We are trying to confirm
Personally, I love the move. After seeing how great the Saints can be with talented playmakers in the secondary, it's hard to go back to watching the likes of Randall Gay and Leigh Torrence. We've been spoiled. I believe this move also affirms what many of us were afraid of after watching last weeks near loss to the Rams: The Saints defense is about as good as last years without the talent of Greer, Porter and Sharper in the secondary. I think the coaching staff recognizes that and knows just how crucial it is to have a secondary that can be trusted when they want their defense to get aggressive. Glad to see that same all-or-nothing drive by the Saints front office to acquire players in a bid to finally win a Super Bowl is still alive and kicking, even in mid-season.
But just because McAlister wasn't currently playing for an NFL team doesn't mean he's already washed up. He was let go from Baltimore after having season-ending knee surgery last year but the Raven's decision to let him go also came down to money issues and cap space. We can only assume that his knee is in good shape and it's probably safe to conclude he's the better option over former Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie, also recovering from serious knee surgery. Fans should also be warned that McAlister has been known to be a bit of a bad boy, not the type of character the Saints seem to usually aim for. But, desperate times call for desperate measures by desperate teams and desperate players.
Now for the bad part. Does this mean the injuries to starting cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer are more serious than we believe?