The New Orleans Saints have added much-needed beef to their defensive line.
Nick Fairley signed a one-year deal with the Saints on Monday, the team announced. New Orleans officially announced the signing later that day. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport first reported last week that the deal would go down.
Rapoport also reported that the deal is for $3 million, with a chance to earn nearly another $2 million more in incentives.
The New England Patriots had interest in adding Fairley after losing Akiem Hicks, but fell out of the running on the defensive tackle, per Rapoport.
The Saints desperately need interior pass rushing. Outside of Cameron Jordan, New Orleans didn't have a defensive lineman who could sniff the quarterback last season.
Fairley has his limits as an every-down player, but he can get after the quarterback. As a rotational player last season for the Rams, Pro Football Focus ranked Fairley as their No. 6 pass rusher among defensive lineman. The 28-year-old veteran has been a plus pass rusher in each of his five NFL seasons.
A disappointment as a starter early in his career in Detroit, Fairley has proven the past two seasons that, when healthy, he can be a disruptive player.
He will slide in next to John Jenkins on the Saints' interior.
The signing won't preclude the Saints from adding a defensive tackle in the draft or another veteran on the open market. Fairley is at his best in a rotation, not as a player who takes 60 percent of snaps.
