Linebacker Joe Schobert is visiting the Saints, per source. He had 112 tackles last year for the Steelers. Made the Pro Bowl in 2017 while with the Browns.
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) June 10, 2022
This is interesting: the New Orleans Saints are hosting veteran linebacker Joe Schobert on a free agent visit, as first reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. The 2017 Pro Bowler started for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars the last two years after starting his career with the Cleveland Browns, where he was teammates with Saints free agent pickup Jarvis Landry.
Linebacker isn’t seen as a high-priority need for the Saints right now given how well Demario Davis has played in recent years and the strong expectations Pete Werner earned off of limited snaps as a rookie, but Schobert could add some experience and playmaking ability to the group. New Orleans rarely fields more than two linebackers at a time, but the slow development of 2020 draft pick Zack Baun does open an opportunity for Schobert to get snaps somewhere.
It’s unclear what sort of contract Schobert is looking for, though he’s unlikely to break the bank (he played on the veteran’s minimum salary for Pittsburgh last season). With former Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander still unsigned in free agency, it’s possible the team is looking at other options before settling for a player they already know well. This could also be a move to pressure Alexander’s agent into signing off on an offer from New Orleans by showing their willingness to go in a different direction. In any case, it seems clear we should expect an addition to the linebacker corps sooner or later.
