Saints Sign an Offensive Lineman, Place a Defensive Lineman on Injured Reserve on Wednesday

New Orleans picks up an offensive lineman amid that unit's struggles, but loses a defensive tackle due to injury.

The New Orleans Saints picked up offensive lineman Derrick Kelly off waivers from the New York Jets on Wednesday afternoon. To make room for Kelly, the Saints placed DT Jaleel Johnson on season-ending injured reserve.

This is the 27-year-old Kelly's second stint with New Orleans. An undrafted rookie out of Florida State, Kelly was signed by the Saints in 2019. After spending all of his rookie year on the practice squad, he’d appear in six games for New Orleans in 2020. The New York Giants claimed Kelly off the Saints practice squad last season, where he’d appear in one contest.

A 6’5” and 320-Lb. lineman, Kelly can play either guard or tackle. New Orleans placed reserve OT Ethan Greenidge on injured reserve earlier this week and their second-string offensive line has struggled throughout training camp. Those struggles continued through Saturday's preseason opener against the Texans and scrimmages against Green Bay this week.

The 28-year-old Jaleel Johnson goes on injured reserve just two days after being re-signed by the Saints. An offseason free-agent addition, Johnson was released prior to Saturday's preseason game against Houston, then re-signed on Monday. He has 5.5 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 11 tackles for loss in five NFL seasons with the Vikings and Texans.

Aug 24, 2019; Jets linebacker Frankie Luvu (50) is blocked by Saints offensive tackle Derrick Kelly (68) during a preseason game. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY

With Johnson out, that leaves the Saints with David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle, Kentavius Street, Malcolm Roach, Albert Huggins, and rookie sixth-round pick Jordan Jackson at defensive tackle. One potential addition could also be former New Orleans DT Malcom Brown, who was released by Jacksonville on Wednesday.

The Saints play at the Green Bay Packers this Friday evening in the second preseason game for both teams. 

RECENT SAINTS NEWS ARTICLES

• Saints vs. Texans: Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

• What We Learned from the Saints Preseason Opener

• Saints vs. Texans Preseason Takeaways

• Saints-Texans Preseason Game Halftime Report

• Saints Transactions: Aug. 8 - Aug. 13

• Bayou Blitz Podcast: Ep. 4 - Preseason Week 1: Saints vs. Texans Preview