20. New Orleans Saints sign Malcom Brown
There wasn’t a ton of fanfare when the New Orleans Saints signed defensive tackle Malcom Brown, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a solid move on their part. A former first-round pick, Brown spent his first four seasons with the New England Patriots before hitting the open market.
He was coming off his least-productive season as a pro, recording just 39 tackles and no sacks, but has shown in the past that he can be a disruptive player. According to Brown, he can become even more of a problem for opposing offensive linemen with the Saints since they play the style of defense he thrives in.
"“They’re a one-gap defense, I played that in college, it’s something I like being in,” Brown said via Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “The guys on the d-line, they’re disruptive, they’re always in the backfield, they rush the passer great, they stop the run great. They are always high energy, celebrating and everything. It just looked fun to be out there on the field with those guys.”"
Brown’s best season in New England came in 2016 when he had 50 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble. He was stout against the run, but still delivered a pass rush from the interior occasionally.
His addition makes an already strong run defense that much more dangerous. The Saints were second in the league last year, giving up just 80.2 yards per contest. Brown’s addition could make them an even tougher team for running back to find lanes against.