Saints to receive 2021 seventh-round selection in Malcom Brown trade

The New Orleans Saints have reportedly traded defensive lineman Malcom Brown to the Jacksonville Jaguars, per Ian Rapoport. The move comes as a bit of a surprise, given that the Saints fully intended to release Brown, so they’ll be getting an unspecified return instead (updated below).

The Jaguars, however, have been very active players throughout this free agency. With the 2021 NFL Draft and Trevor Lawrence looming — not to mention an entirely new coaching staff — it was no secret that they would be making moves. It appears that they didn’t want Brown to hit the market.

Brown was a very solid player for the Saints, particularly in their running defense, in the two years he spent in New Orleans. At 27, he still seems to have gas in the tank, so the Jaguars are getting a solid contributor.

For the Saints, meanwhile, this means a new reliance on Shy Tuttle inside. David Onyemata was always going to be a key piece in any future interior defense plans, given his sleeper three-year $26 million contract extension in 2020. While this makes depth a more pressing issue, it likely doesn’t change immediate plans.

The Saints have until Wednesday to get under the cap. This move expedites that process while netting a return.

Updated Thursday, March 18 11:23 AM

According to neworleans.football’s Nick Underhill, the Saints will receive a 2021 seventh-round selection in this trade. A win for the Saints who looked to be on the verge of cutting Brown simply for the cap recovery. Now they return an additional piece of compensation.

Jacksonville currently has two seventh-rounders. One at 227 overall, the other at 248. The Saints look to have benefited from the timing of this trade. Just a day later, the Los Angeles Rams traded defensive tackle Michael Brockers to the Detroit Lions for a seventh-round pick as well, however they won’t receive theirs until the 2023 draft.

This returns the Saints to seven total selections in the 2021 NFL draft which break down as follows.

1st Round - 28
2nd Round - 60
3rd Round - 98 (comp) and 105 (comp)
4th Round - 133
6th Round - 216 (comp)
7th Round - 227 or 248 (via JAX)

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