Saints sign 2 linebackers to bolster their depth chart

The New Orleans Saints signed two linebackers this afternoon: Jon Bostic and Niko Lalos. The signing of Bostic was first reported by Nick Underhill and the signing of Lalos was reported first by Dan Duggan before being confirmed by Underhill as well.

The Saints have struggled with injuries at the linebacker position throughout training camp. Pete Werner has been on and off the field with a groin injury and D’Marco Jackson went to IR with an undisclosed injury. Bringing in two new faces for the linebacker unit is definitely a welcome sight, as both at the bare minimum and they will be good depth pieces when the roster is fully healthy.

Jon Bostic is an 8-year veteran who has started in 81 career games and played in 106 total over this span of time. While he did lose his spot last season in Washington when they drafted Jamin Davis in the first round, he still started in 4 games over the course of the season. In 2019 and 2020, he was a force to be reckoned with on their defense, racking up 100+ tackles each season and 6 QB hits as well. He also grabbed an interception each of the two seasons and had 5 pass deflections combined in those years. While he had a down 2021-22 season, his prior success in ‘19 and ‘20 could prove useful for the Saints if they choose to use a 3-linebacker set, with Demario Davis and Pete Werner.

Niko Lalos is less of a veteran of the sport, playing only 6 games in the course of his 2 years playing for the New York Giants. Lalos has made a few good plays in the season at various times, including an interception against the Cincinnati Bengals in his first career start:

Will he be an exceptional talent for the Saints? Likely not. However, having depth and a camp body to compete for the Saints in the preseason is a nice addition, and who knows, maybe he makes the roster as a special teamer if he shows out the next two weeks.

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