This is a bit of a bummer. Many New Orleans Saints fans hoped Kwon Alexander would come back to the Crescent City and improve depth in the linebacker corps, but he’s going to the Pittsburgh Steelers instead.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reports that Alexander agreed to terms on a contract offer with Pittsburgh, despite having already signed veteran free agents Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcombe and Tanner Muse earlier this year.
So he didn’t even go to the Steelers with the promise of a spot in the first-string defense. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson adds that “a starting spot nor a specific role was guaranteed to Alexander in advance of going to Pittsburgh, but if he proves worthy, he will be trotted out there with the first group.”
Alexander left the Saints last year to team up with Sheldon Rankins and Justin Hardee on the New York Jets, where he played his first full season since 2016. Injuries were an issue for him in New Orleans, and he was eventually supplanted by Pete Werner in the starting lineup, but his athleticism and experience were welcome additions. He and Demario Davis formed a very impressive one-two punch in the middle of the field.
And linebacker remains an area of concern for the Saints. General manager Mickey Loomis alluded to it before training camp started, acknowledging that there are some positions where he’d like to have another player with NFL experience, and in that regard the Saints are thin in the linebacker corps. Maybe Alexander going off the market pushes them to make an addition of their own. Good luck to him in Pittsburgh.
