Dillon Radunz had options in free agency, but his eventual landing spot with the New Orleans Saints just made the most sense.
That's due in part to the fact that Radunz's primary goal is to get on the field, and there's a clear opportunity in New Orleans, as he said on SportsTalk this week.
“Out of all the teams that were interested, just the short visit I had with them, the coaching staff and then the opportunity to play, it just all made sense," Radunz told Mike Detillier. "It was an easy choice at the end of the day, and just excited to get out there on the field.”
Listen to the full interview with new Saints OL Dillon Radunz in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Where will Radunz play? The Saints will have some options. The former North Dakota State Bison and 2nd round pick in the 2021 draft has taken snaps at each of left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle throughout his career, and started double-digit games with the Titans at both guard and tackle. He was Tennessee's starter for 15 games at right guard a year ago, but played exclusively on the left side of the line college.
That versatility is something that will certainly serve Radunz well in general, but the area of opportunity heading into this season will be at left guard.
Related
"Obviously there’s nothing set in stone, but left guard would the opportunity that’s there," Radunz said. "We’ll see how this whole offseason goes, gonna put in work, but ultimately at the end of the day I’m trying to play football, I’m trying to get on that field, so wherever they see me fit to play on the O-line that’s where I’ll be.”
Last year's Week 1 starter Lucas Patrick signed with the Bengals in free agency. The Saints also have a young player in Nick Saldiveri who will vie for the position but has struggled to stay healthy through the first two years of his NFL career. Veterans Will Clapp and Landon Young could also be options. The Saints appear set at the other three positions, barring significant draft investment, with Taliese Fuaga (LT), Erik McCoy (C), Cesar Ruiz (RG) and Trevor Penning (RT).
The Radunz signing was for one year and underscored what has been a low-key offseason after a busy first few days for the Saints. The biggest free agent contract was handed to former Chiefs safety Justin Reid (3 years, $31M), along with a pair of high-dollar extensions for DE Chase Young (3 years, $51M) and Juwan Johnson (3 years, $30 million). The Saints have also inked WR Brandin Cooks (2 years, $13.5M) and CB Isaac Yiadom to (3 years, $9M) to multi-year deals and swung a trade for former Patriots DT and LSU standout Davon Godchaux.