It's Beginning To Look Like Nick Fairley Is Coming To NOLA

PFT-  Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Fairley is expected to sign with the Saints, who met with Fairley last week. Rapoport reports the Patriots are out of the running for his services and presumably the Jets and Eagles, who also showed interest, have fallen out of the running as well.

Fairley would likely slot in next to nose tackle John Jenkins on the interior of the New Orleans line. That would likely lead to more playing time than Fairley saw as a member of the Rams last season. Fairley played behind Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers and saw 422 snaps on defense over the course of the year.



Defense? DEFENSE!?! This doesn't sound right. Somebody's got their sources out of whack. Why would the Saints take a chance on a guy that can potentially help shore up their front seven? If I know anything about defensive tackles it's that they can't catch passes worth a lick. That's why I am absolutely certain that this is a mistake. Can't be wasting valuable cap space on the side of the ball that isn't responsible for putting points on the board.

In all seriousness, this looks like a solid move. Hopefully not a solid move that breaks the bank, but a solid move nonetheless. Nick Fairley hasn't been the wrecking ball that he was in college, but he's still been a productive player that can push the pocket a little bit and cause havoc in the trenches. He's not going to transform a defense by himself, but the market value on miracle workers is unfortunately way out of the Saints price range. I guess we will have to settle for a contributor that has the ability to clog up the middle and take some pressure off Cameron Jordan. He's had his issues with work ethic but his talent is unquestionable, and talent is exactly what this defense needs. Hopefully pairing him up with his starting middle linebacker from last year - James Laurinaitis - will help spark a fire under him. With the ceiling he had coming out of Auburn it's not crazy to say that his best has yet to come, but honestly, even his worst is probably a huge upgrade. Especially since he's already got the whole "marchin' in" thing down pat...