The Saints have orchestrated a pair of roster moves on an otherwise quiet morning in the NFL.
The team on Wednesday signed veteran right guard Jahri Evans to a one-year extension and inked free-agent cornerback Kyle Wilson to a one-year pact.
Evans was the subject of trade whispers this offseason, but coach Sean Payton said at last week's NFL Annual Meeting that a reworked deal was being discussed. The terms of his extension were not announced, but the move keeps Evans under lock and key through 2017 and will certainly lower the blocker's $11 million in base and bonus earnings for 2015.
The Saints have shipped a flock of veterans out the door, but they weren't willing to part with Evans after trading fellow guard Ben Grubbs to the Chiefs for a 2015 fifth-rounder. Evans, 31, has missed just two games since taking over the position for New Orleans in 2006. Last year wasn't his finest, but we expect better line play from the Saints after the team acquired center Max Unger from Seattle in the Jimmy Graham swap.
Wilson entered the league with plenty of promise after the Jets made him the 29th overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. Viewed initially as an instant plug-and-play starter, Wilson was a disappointment under Rex Ryan. Showing little promise as an outside cover man, he will compete for snaps in the slot with a handful of Saints cover men.
With Rob Ryan running the New Orleans defense, it's fair to assume that Rex provided at least a hopeful scouting report on Wilson. Rob, of course, was part of a Browns coaching staff under Eric Mangini that liked the corner prior to the 2010 draft.
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