Dolphins give two-year, $4.5M contract to ex-Saints DE Grant

Former New Orleans Saints defensive end Charles Grant agreed to a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The deal could pay the eight-year NFL veteran up to $4.5 million.

Grant was released by the Saints following their Super Bowl run. New Orleans made its playoff push without the longtime starting left end because of a triceps injury he suffered in Week 17.

Grant, 31, had 5.5 sacks in 2009 before being injured. He will continue to play end in Miami, even though he will switch from a 4-3 front with the Saints to a 3-4 with the Dolphins.

Before joining the Dolphins, Grant explored joining the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League, but he opted against it when prospects of continuing his career in the NFL surfaced.

Grant is one of four players -- along with Saints defensive end Will Smith and Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams -- whose NFL-issued four-game suspensions for testing positive for a banned diuretic have been indefinitely postponed because of legal proceedings.