Saints sign Seahawks DT Tony McDaniel; implications for Nick Fairley?

In a move that may suggest bad news is coming for Nick Fairley, pro sports agency DEC Management announced on its official Twitter account that their client, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, will be signing with the New Orleans Saints.

We still haven’t heard anything official on Nick Fairley’s future, though Saints head coach Sean Payton said earlier this week they expect to discuss the situation with Fairley and his agents soon.

McDaniel (6-foot-7, 295-pounds) is a big interior lineman who was a fixture in the Seattle Seahawks’ rotation in recent years. He also suited up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015, and has been playing professionally since 2006. He’s been writing an interesting “Free Agent Diary” this offseason, which is worth checking out.

Observers at practice including Canal Street Chronicles editor John Hendrix have noted that McDaniel has been seeing reps on the first team defense next to last year’s first round pick, Sheldon Rankins, but it’ll be interesting to see how he’s used once nose tackle Tyeler Davison is cleared to play in training camp. And we still don’t know whether Fairley will be active, so stay tuned.