Saints now have new DE Wilkerson

Now the No. 97 New Orleans Saints jersey is ready to be worn by someone new from Tampa Bay. On the past Tuesday night, former Buccaneers defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson signed a one-year contract worth $2 million with the Saints, adding some more depth to the team’s defensive line that causes concerns going into the preseason.

The Saints were believed to make a good choice in adding Wilkerson. The defensive end recorded 46 tackles, 6 sacks, and forced 2 fumbles for a very underwhelming defense during last season with the Buccaneers despite an ACL injury that was suffered late last year. Spending his first five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Wilkerson has his best seasons with the Buccaneers with 11 of his 12 career sacks being made during the past two seasons. The seven-year veteran became a restricted free agent this offseason and had been considering several offers including the one made by Buccaneers. After having a visit with Saints recently, he made the decision to join the last year’s Super Bowl champion team.

Coupled with recent signing of former Chicago Bears defensive end Alex Brown, the addition of Wilkerson made the Saints more confident with the position of defensive end. It may also affect the team’s choice in the first round of the draft and team is likely to use their first pick to draft a player for another position on the defensive line.