The New Orleans Saints have re-signed former starting linebacker Manti Te’o on Tuesday, as first reported by Rob DeMello of KHON 2-Honolulu and confirmed by Sean Fazende of FOX 8-New Orleans. Te’o has been a free agent since his Saints contract expired earlier this year, receiving little interest on the open market. He met with the Oakland Raiders back in March but did not sign with the team, instead returning to Hawaii where he continued training in hopes of an NFL return while dabbling in real estate.
So what prompted the Saints to bring Te’o back in early December? Starting linebackers A.J. Klein and Kiko Alonso exited last Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with separate injuries, forcing special teamers Craig Robertson and Stephone Anthony into the lineup. We won’t have anything concrete on Klein or Alonso’s status until Wednesday’s injury report, but Te’o’s addition gives the Saints an experienced player who knows the defensive scheme inside and out.
Te’o led the Saints defense with 15 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage back in 2017, though he was frequently inactive for much of the 2018 season while New Orleans enjoyed a streak of good health at the position. It’s impossible to guess right now how much Te’o will play moving forward (if at all), but his past success in the same situation has to be reassuring to the Saints and their fans. Expect a corresponding move to Te’o’s re-signing to be reported on the official league transactions wire on Wednesday.
