The New Orleans Saints didn't wait long to find their Tyrann Mathieu replacement.
The Saints have come to terms with former Colts safety Julian Blackmon on a deal, according to a report from Ian Rapoport, adding a veteran in a position for Brandon Staley's defense. Terms of the deal were not immediately available.
The signing became necessary after it was announced Tuesday afternoon, the eve the first camp practice, that Mathieu would be retiring from the NFL after 12 seasons. Saints GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Kellen Moore said that they weren't completely blindsided by the news, but that the decision had been made in the weeks leading up to camp.
“You’re not going to replace Tyrann with his ability from that standpoint. ... . We’re always trying to accumulate as many talented players as we can, so Mickey, all those guys, they’ve done a phenomenal job trying to navigate that path and if something presents itself then we’ll be ready to fire,” Moore told WWL on Tuesday.
In Blackmon the Saints will be adding a player that the Colts selected in the third round of the 2020 draft (No. 85 overall), the same draft where the Saints had a pair of third-round selections, landing Zack Baun and Adam Trautman. Blackmon started 14 games in his rookie season and he has 62 starts, 10 interceptions and 300 tackles to his credit over five seasons with Indianapolis.
It's unclear when Blackmon will officially join the Saints, who kick off their camp practices on Wednesday.
