Former Saints S/NCB Kenny Vaccaro signs with Titans

After months of waiting and numerous visits/workouts Kenny Vaccaro now has a new home. The former Saints safety & nickel player stayed on the market much longer than most analysts anticipated. With the “safety market crash of 2018” Vaccaro found himself unemployed with other big name players like Eric Reid (who still remains unsigned).

With injuries popping up before the NFL season has officially begun veterans like Vaccaro are getting the call, and opportunity to start, that they’ve been waiting for. It was the injury to Johnathan Cyprien that opened the door to Tennessee.

Vaccaro was with New Orleans for all five years of his NFL career, and he started every game with the Saints from his rookie year until being allowed to walk. Vaccaro was a jack of all trades, master of none on the football field. His above average athletic ability, play strength and downhill play made for some electrifying plays. However, his struggles as a cover man also bring back memories that aren't as enjoyable.

Vaccaro has had his share of injuries as well as problems with the league’s conduct policies. Should he incur another suspension he would be looking at missing ten games. This likely played into his inability to pick up with a team at the start of free agency.

When played as a buzz defender in Cover 3, in the box as a hybrid role player or as a nickel defender covering tight ends Vaccaro was able to put his strengths to good use and find success. Translating these abilities to being a consistent, singular position player was always one of the hiccups of Vaccaro’s career. His athletic ability didn’t translate to strong zone coverage. When in the box his reads were better than most linebackers during his tenure with the Saints, but when asked to drop back in space that quick processing slowed down.

A change of scenery can often be a good for a player, and hopefully thats the case for Kenny Vaccaro. The Titans and their fans are certainly hoping to have big hits, like the one below, added to their defensive repertoire at his position.