The New Orleans Saints solved their secondary concerns by executing a blockbuster trade for veteran corner Bradley Roby. In order to get Roby, the Saints sent their 2022 third-round draft pick to the Houston Texans. The agreement also includes a conditional pick in 2023.
The trade was confirmed to reporters by Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and later confirmed on the team’s official social made.
Roby is expected to step in as a starter for the Saints, lining up alongside Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore. However, the 29-year-old player won’t be at the team’s disposal for Week 1, serving the last of the six-game suspension he received from the NFL in 2020. Prior to the suspension, he racked up 37 tackles, one interception, and seven pass deflections in 10 appearances last season.
The corner position was a pressing issue for the Saints ever since the team decided to release starter Janoris Jenkins in March as part of their efforts to compile with the NFL’s salary cap regulations. New Orleans drafted Paulson Adebo in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft and recently signed veteran Desmond Trufant in order to add depth to the position, but the franchise obviously wasn’t confident that either of these two players could step up to the task.
Bradley Roby spent the first five years of his pro career with the Denver Broncos and was part of the team that won the Super Bowl 50. Roby departed Denver as a free agent, signing a one-year deal with the Texans in 2019. After a productive first season in Houston, he received a new three-year, $36 million contract.
