Saints trade DT Khalen Saunders to Jaguars in exchange for center Luke Fortner, per report
The Jacksonville jaguars and New Orleans’ saints concluded an agreement involving the trenches on Sunday evening, with Jacksonville sending the offensive line Luke Fortner to The Big Easy for the defensive line Khalen Saunders, by NFL network. The exchange occurred a few hours after the teams equaled their pre-season match 17-17.
Saunders, 29, won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs of Kansas City, who selected him in the west of Illinois in the third round of the 2019 draft. After four years in Kansas City, he spent two seasons in New Orleans, where he produced one of the best protruding facts of 2024: a Interception return of 37 yards Against his old team.
Saunders, which weighs 324 pounds, has successfully returned from the longest interception by a player 300 pounds or more since the return of 66 yards from Shaun Rogers in 2007.
Saunders started the 17 games for the saints in 2023, then appeared in 13 games (with 10 departures) last year. He recorded 37 plated and a pair of bags in addition to the interception in 2024.
Fortner, 27, was a choice of third round of Jacksonville in 2022. The product of Kentucky started the 17 games of his first two seasons, but did not start a single match last year after the team brought in the veteran Mitch Morse. This offseason, the Jaguars called on the Robert Hainey center, who was with the new coach Liam Coen with the Buccaneers of Tampa Bay.
The saints needed an offensive line depth after losing Will Clapp because of an end of season injury. Clapp was to be a key reserve inside the line, especially as backup of the center of the center of the Bowl Erik McCoy.
