Former Jets DL Muhammad Wilkerson Visiting Saints

Per Ian Rapoport, free agent DL Muhammad Wilkerson is heading to New Orleans for a visit with the Saints after having a meeting with the Green Bay Packers that went “really well”. While the meeting may have gone well, it seems Mr. Wilkerson is wanting to keep all of his options open. If he leaves the Saints without a contract, it’s said he’ll be visiting the Kansas City Chiefs next.

Wilkerson is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, and many analysts feel he hasn't been the same since breaking his leg at the end of the 2015 NFL regular season while he was still with the New York Jets. Since breaking his leg, Wilkerson has dealt with ankle and shoulder problems that have plagued him and prevented him from returning to top form that saw him voted to the Pro-Bowl in 2015.

At 6-4 and 305 pounds it’s likely that New Orleans sees him as a potential depth piece on the interior of the defensive line. Having notched 44.5 career sacks, and two seasons with 10+ sacks, he has the ability to rush the passer. In 2017 he saw career lows in just about every category. Turning 29 this year his value could be greatly affected by the depth of this year’s interior defensive line class. His recent bout with various injuries certainly is playing a factor as well.

Head Coach Sean Payton was unable to see Wilkerson perform in the Jets and Saints matchup during the 2017 regular season as he did not make the trip to Louisiana. Apparently there were issues with attendance in team meetings and practices. New Orleans already has David Onyemata and Sheldon Rankins manning the 3 Tech one could see Wilkerson playing, but as Saints fans are all too familiar with you need depth to make a deep run in the playoffs.