The New Orleans Saints are preparing to sign former Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins to a free agent contract, says NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Jenkins started his NFL career with the Saints before joining the Eagles as a free agent back in 2014, but he’ll be returning to where he started to play for a coach that’s long respected him.
“Should have never let him leave to begin with,” Sean Payton told ESPN’s Mike Triplett. Payton has said before that he regretted swapping Jenkins for Jairus Byrd once upon a time, so this is very much a course-correction.
While it’s unclear what Jenkins’ contract will look like, it’s a safe bet that his return spells the end of Vonn Bell’s tenure in New Orleans. With C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Williams both under contract for 2020, there simply aren’t enough snaps left around to make room for Bell and Jenkins both — not to mention the salary cap space.
However, we do have a good idea of what Jenkins will bring to the table. He’ll be a welcome injection of experience and leadership in the Saints secondary and the locker room, and should be able to mentor both Williams and Gardner-Johnson as they continue to carve out names for themselves in the NFL. Jenkins is one of just three players still active from Super Bowl XLIV, and he’ll join the other two in New Orleans very soon: Drew Brees and Thomas Morstead.
