METAIRIE, La. -- Free agent defensive end Turk McBride has agreed to contract terms with the New Orleans Saints, adding depth at a position where the Saints may need it in the beginning of the season.
Saints spokesman Greg Bensel confirmed the addition of the 6-foot-2, 278-pound McBride, a five-year veteran who has started 12 games during the past two seasons for the Detroit Lions.
The Saints are expecting starting defensive end Will Smith to be suspended for the first four games of the season, stemming from his use of StarCaps weight-loss pills that resulted in Smith and other players testing positive in 2008 for a substance banned by the NFL because it masks steroid use.
The Saints also drafted defensive end Cam Jordan with their top draft choice last spring, but he is untested and still unsigned.
Earlier on Sunday, the Saints confirmed they had also agreed to terms with cornerback Fabian Washington, who started eight games for Baltimore last season and is entering his seventh season in the NFL.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
