New Orleans Saints bring back defensive end Darryl Tapp

According to the Thursday NFL transaction wire, the New Orleans Saints have re-signed veteran defensive end Darryl Tapp.

Tapp, who will turn 33 in September, appeared in 292 snaps for Dennis Allen’s defense in 2016, primarily backing up Paul Kruger. In a year in review piece by CSC contributor Christian Lok, Tapp was easily a guy who played hard when given the opportunity.

Tapp didn’t get much playing time in 2016, but he made sure to make an impact whenever he got the chance. He held his own in pass defense, despite only finishing with a half sack throughout the season, but his real impact came against the run. Tapp consistently held his edge and finished with 17 total tackles in only 135 snaps against the run. That’s really nice numbers for a guy who didn't get nearly the playing time we might have hoped for.

The Saints have also picked up Alex Okafor in free agency, and no matter what moves are made, the end result must be the same to solve for the teams pass rushing woes. Tapp told Alex Marvez in the middle of February on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he felt he had two more seasons in him, and was weighing his options. He also stated that he might return to the Saints, and wanted to play for a Super Bowl contender.

The signing of cornerback Sterling Moore was also on Thursday’s transactions.